DRAGON SHIFT EXCERPT
“Concentrate,” he demanded.
She winced at the explosions behind her, the last hit coming
down not more than fifty yards away from the docks. “It is
difficult. All the noise and fighting are distracting. I can’t
settle my mind.”
“Try harder!” He had never been compassionate, did not want
to hear excuses. Often she dreamed of going it on her own, but
that was impossible. His chains, mental ones, were binding until
her death.
With a deep breath to fill her lungs, she shut her eyes and
tried again. With concentrated effort, she forced the shouts,
the destruction, and even the frightened calls of the birds
around her to fade away.
His voice came from a distance, “Yes, yes. You are doing it.”
The separation, when it came, was a surprise—as it always
was. Her body became a shell, stiff in the position it was left
in, posed on the edge of the dock as the ship disappeared in the
distance. Her spirit lifted from her body to float above the
water across the distance as if it were no more than a step
across a dance floor. That was how she saw it. For when she left
her body, she was free to dance on air. Free of the bonds that
held her, bonds that kept her at his side as he traveled across
galaxies. He had a need, and she was his means to fulfill that
need. Never mind the fact that there was a war here on this
planet. Never mind that humans slaughtered shape-shifters and in
turn they were slaughtered. His quest was all- important.
Feeling herself about to lose focus, she dismissed the
thoughts from her mind, to focus on the task at hand. That task
was to locate the dragon.
She ascended over the bow, over the railing, and then touched
down on the deck. If one could call it “touch-down.” She
couldn’t feel the surface beneath her feet. The ocean breeze was
obviously blowing the hair of the woman arguing with the dragon,
yet she could not feel it. She allowed nothing to touch her in
this form, and no one usually saw her either. Unless they had
special abilities. No human, certainly.
Yet, as she drew closer, her gaze settled on the
brown-skinned man—the one she knew was part dragon. His
shoulders were broader than those of any alien creature she had
laid eyes on this century. She knew he sensed her presence. But
how?
His back had been toward her, the knotted muscles of his neck
tense as he continued to argue with the woman. His hand cut
sharply through the air to emphasize his point. “Look, Bella.
You’re in no condition to argue. And I’m usually an easy-going
guy, but you’re seriously giving a brother a headache with your
complaints.”
“Then let me the hell off this boat so I can find a male to
heal me. I can get back to my people and fight the humans.”
The woman’s eyes were larger than a human’s eyes. She had
seen her kind before. They were shape-shifters. The Master owned
one like her, too, obtained before the destruction of their
planet. The pain of that occurrence was still fresh, so she
pushed the thought from her mind and buried the emotions as
always, to continue to follow the conversation.
The dragon-man was unmovable. “Not doing it. You’ll be
allowed to heal when we get you all to safety, not before. From
what I hear, you double-crossed my buddy’s lady, so if it were
up to me, you’d be swimming back to the city. So, if I were you,
I’d shut up and get out of sight until we get to our
destination.”
She was amused at the sight of the woman’s face paling at the
dragon-man’s words. A chuckle, had she allowed such things,
would have escaped her, but right then, he stiffened. His hand,
which had waved in the air, came down on the railing in a tight
grip. He froze. From her close vantage point, she saw goose
bumps spring up on his arms—and the hairs on his neck rose.
Taking a step back from him, she continued to watch. The
woman spun on her heel and stomped away. He remained unmoving.
And then, seemingly with conscious effort, he began to relax.
Not turning around, he spoke.
“So, who are you?”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped, placing a transparent hand
across her lips. “Y-You know I am here?” she whispered.
He laughed and spun to face her, a cocky grin spreading
across his face. “Damn. And beautiful, too. Mmm, I knew I’d
smelled a sexy woman. My nose never fools me.”
A sense of panic welled within her. Her spirit jerked
backward as she fought to keep concentration. “I do not
understand. How can you see me? No human has ever been able to
see me.”
He shrugged. “How many have you met?” He gestured toward the
explosions fading behind the ship. “We’re a bit busy right now
fighting a stupid war, but there might be one or two available
to experiment on.”
“You jest. I need to know. How?” She paced, or, rather,
floated, from a wall with a doorway probably leading below deck
to the railing and back. “It is because you are part dragon, I
guess. Dragons are magical creatures.”
He froze again, “How do you know that? No one, other than
those closest to me, knows about my abilities. They either know
me as Terrell or as the dragon come to kick their asses.” He
chuckled.
“It is him. He has ways of finding out things. Knows where
creatures are. I work for him. So, it is confirmed. You are here
. . . Terrell.” She spoke the name softly, liking the way it
rolled from her tongue. From the first time she saw his face in
a device for showing such things, back on the space craft, she
knew she wanted to get to know him.
“You know my name, baby. What’s yours?”
She hesitated, not sure he would approve. But it seemed
harmless enough for the dragon-man to know. “I am Eve.”
He grinned again. “Eve. Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.
Tell me, Eve, where is your real body? Surely, you’re not this
ghostly all the time ’cause it would be a real shame not to be
able to touch flesh and blood.”
She almost smiled for the first time in many months. “You are
very interesting, Dragon. Do you always say such bold things to
the women you meet? I imagine the human women like it?”
The twitch of his eye could be annoyance, but she was not
sure of human expressions. “I get action when I want it. Maybe I
need to school you. Then again, I have a thing for
shape-shifting women. You don’t happen to transform, do you?”
She gasped, knowing he was getting back at her. So, she had
insulted him. Though it was not intentional. Maybe she needed to
spend more time studying the logs on other species and less time
in the simulator outside her body. Then, she would know how to
speak to others. But leaving her body meant freedom, and as long
as the man back on shore did not prevent it, she would exercise
her ability as much as possible.
“No, I am not a shape-shifter. I am not even from the same
galaxy as the shape-shifters,” she admitted. “But you are one,
though not naturally.”
He grunted. Somehow, she had offended him yet again.
“I did not mean to offend you, Dragon. We want to get to know
you. Talk to you about your transformation and how you became as
you are.” Her words were rushed, hopeful of making up for her
social faux pas.
“We? Who are we?” he queried.
She bit her lip and glanced back over her shoulder. “He is on
shore, waiting to meet you. If you will become a dragon and fly
there, he will talk to you, tell you what he wants.”
“In case you haven’t noticed while you were floating around,
we’re in a war. My friends need me, so I’m not going anywhere to
satisfy some guy’s curiosity. But if you give me your number,
you can be sure I’ll call to get a chance to see you inside your
body.”
The grin had returned, and so had the charm. She found
herself warming to his words. In the simulator, could she touch
him outside her body? Could she help him leave his body? She had
never wanted the man she called Master to capture another but
found herself longing for more interaction with this man,
something she had not allowed herself with the other captives
she had met. Now was not the time. He was calling to her to
return to her body.
“I have to go, Terrell.” She took joy in saying his name. “I
will visit you again. Perhaps in your dreams.” Her body floated
backward to hover above the water.
He called out, “Can you do that? Can you get in my dreams?
Come on in them, baby. I’ll show you a good time.”
A flicker of excitement lit her from within. This dragon had
to come with them, if only for a little while. Just long enough
to ease the loneliness inhabiting her soul.
* * * *
She stood on the outskirts again, watching him. This time, he
was a magnificent dragon. Though she hated the Master, how she
blessed him for leading her to this amazing beast. His craggy
wings extended wide as he dipped and soared across the sky. A
tremor coursed through her skin when the great yellow eyes
spotted her miles beneath him. She knew he saw her when he arced
one last time before arrowing down toward her.
Should she be afraid? The beast touched the ledge before her
with the elegance of a gazelle. Eve tilted her head back to take
in his height, all of fifteen or twenty feet. It did not seem
possible that a man just above six feet in height could grow and
change to this enormous beast. Surely magic was involved. That
was what the Master sought to know, too.
“Hello again,” she spoke softly.
The scales quivered and then receded, just as his height
shrank until he was the height of a man. She found herself
attracted to his dark skin and build. It was a struggle not to
allow her eyes to drop to his manhood, which was prominent since
he was naked.
The cocky grin surfaced. “So, this is what you look like in
the flesh. Very nice. I know you want to look at me. It’s okay.
I’m proud of what I have, actually.” He stepped forward and
leaned in to her ear. “Don’t mind if you give it a little stroke
either. Been a while with all that’s happening.”
“Oh.” Eve was almost as curious about other species as her
Master was. Not eyeing him had stemmed from a wish to avoid
offending this beautiful man. With his invitation, she glanced
down and reached out to encircle the lengthy appendage.
He caught her before she could make contact. “What are you
doing?”
“You said I could touch it,” she said simply.
He laughed, “I thought I’d embarrass you, make that smooth,
milky skin of yours turn red. “I didn’t expect you to go
grabbing on a man like we were lovers or something.”
“But you said . . . ”
Terrell gave her a look of disbelief mingled with curiosity.
“Who are you? How can you be so innocent? I have to admit, I’m
intrigued. I—”
His words were suddenly cut off when an explosion sent the
rock beneath his feet flying into the air. The narrow ledge on
the side of the mountain, where she had run him to ground,
collapsed. Eve screamed, terrified for his safety. But as the
man fell, he transformed and soared upward to turn to her. When
the surface crumbled, she had grabbed onto the loose rocks,
struggling to gain a foothold. Nothing held. She continued to
slip, and when she would have fallen to her death, thick, black
claws closed around her arms to lift her into the air.
That sensation she had felt every time she left her body was
present as the dragon carried her. Eve tilted back her chin and
closed her eyes. A rare smile spread across her face. Realizing
she was missing the scenery around her, she opened her eyes to
take in the trees zipping past beneath her feet. She rested her
head against his massive leg, safe in the feel of his powerful
muscles flexing beneath her touch. This was true freedom, and
looking again into the yellow eyes that watched her from above,
she knew he felt it, was aware of what it meant to be free of
all bonds.
Before she could voice these thoughts or ask the many
questions that vied for attention in her mind, another boom cut
through the air around them. The dragon’s body jerked right and
his left foot released her. Eve choked off a scream, hanging on
to the remaining foot that held her. She pulled hard upward
until she could wrap her legs around his ankle, then leaned out
so that she could examine the beast’s body. A small gash was in
his chest, bleeding out. So, her information was incorrect.
Dragons were not impervious to attacks. Their scales were not
invincible. Or maybe it was just this one.
“Hold on.” The command was rough and scratchy, taking her by
surprise.
Eve’s attention dropped to the surface far below. A
red-orange flash, and then something was headed toward them. The
dragon twirled in the air so that the missile missed its target.
Her stomach was unsettled. Had she eaten that morning, it would
be raining down on the human heads below.
Relief that the missile missed was short-lived. It was a
heat-seeker. No matter how many times the dragon rolled from its
path, the thing turned to attack again. Eve feared it would hit
and hurt him. The Master would punish her for not carrying out
her mission if the dragon was hurt. He needed protection.
Eve closed her eyes and struggled to concentrate, which was
difficult considering the constant roll and the fear of being
blown out of the sky at any second. It seemed to take a long
time to find that quiet place, where all disturbances fell away.
She had to become weightless, to forget all except her power.
Her hold on the dragon’s foot eased. Her legs grew limp.
When she would have plunged to her death, she uttered the
words “Otctetrop su.” Seemingly from nothing, light surrounded
them, a light powerful enough to hold Eve and the beast in its
protective vise. The missile hit with an impact so strong, it
sent a force throughout the light barrier and made Eve and
Terrell tumble through the air.
But Terrell was powerful in his own right. He steadied
himself and took hold of Eve again with his foot. They flew at a
phenomenal speed, which, if her stomach had not been doing
somersaults, Eve would have loved. Soon, they were miles from
the attack, and he set her down at the side of a creek.
Eve took two steps away from the transforming man to vomit at
the base of a bush. She then strolled back to the creek, rinsed
her mouth, and at last returned to Terrell. “That was fun. When
you are not under attack, I would like you to take me up again.”
He burst out laughing while clutching the wound on his chest,
which was fast-healing. “You are the weirdest woman I’ve ever
met. You nearly fall to your death, get shot at with a missile.
You throw up like it’s nothing, not even embarrassed, and then
ask to go do it all over again. Just what kind of woman are
you?” While he spoke, he pulled off a satchel attached to his
strong neck and removed clothing from it to dress.
Eve’s attention was on his chest. “You heal quickly.”
He shrugged. “The advantages of having dragon DNA, baby.
Enough about me, what’s your story? How did you do that thing
you did, with the light?”
She didn’t want to admit her mission. The Master had allowed
her to go out alone today to find the dragon. His gruffness
would have put off the beast, she told him. In reality, she
wanted Terrell to herself a little longer. After they rejoined
the ship, he would be tested continually. She might not get to
see him often, if at all.
She considered telling him all the truth, the fact that he
would lose his freedom if he followed her to the Master. But
that was against her orders, and the Master always knew when she
had disobeyed. In the beginning, she had tried to free the
others, to stop the gathering of new species, but it had been
pointless. The Master was too powerful. If he wanted the
majestic dragon, he would have him. Eve could keep her life or
she could lose it trying to protect him. Either way, the result
would be the same.
“I am no one special. I know a few tricks.” She avoided
saying too much. “I learned years ago to use a few magic words.
Anyone can do the same.”
As he buttoned his shirt, she noticed that the wound was now
completely closed, with no scarring. Terrell questioned her.
“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me something? Hmm,
I don’t normally date the secretive, ulterior-motive–type
woman.”
“You date unintelligent women, then?” This time she knew she
was being insulting, but she also knew that he would not get too
angry at her.
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” He took her arm. “Come on. I need to
get you back to wherever you came from so I can go meet my
friends.”
Friends. It was easy to allow him to take her back to the
Master. There would be no struggle. He would consider it looking
after a defenseless woman. The Master would ensnare him as soon
as his defenses were down and he was close enough. But something
in Eve wanted to see what “friends” were like. She thought
quickly.
“My stepfather is not near at this time. He will pick me up
this evening. Will you take me with you until then, keep me
safe?”
Her knowledge of human men was somewhat limited, but what she
did know told her that they could not resist a woman in
distress. The males were similar even on worlds where the
dominant species was not humanoid.
Terrell responded just as she had hoped. “The fool left you
alone on a planet where there was a war going on? Well, come on.
I know of a safe place. And when he gets back, I’m going to have
a talk with him.”
She tried to remember how he had spoken before. “Will you
pool him?”
He threw back his head, laughing. “No, I’ll school him. Aw,
man. Wait ’til I show you to my friend Tony.”
Again, excitement stirred within her. Visiting Earth was more
than she had imagined it would be. Now, if only the Master would
get lost wherever he was so that she could enjoy more time with
these earthlings.
.
