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.