I gripped the brick in my hand—amazed I still had it—and slowed down. It took a couple of deep breaths for me to find my calm place. All the while, the boot steps came closer. When the man couldn’t have been more than a stride away, I spun around with my arm held high. I launched the brick at his face, but he jerked his head to the side at the last moment. It grazed his chin instead.
My momentum kept me going into a spiral I couldn’t recover from before the ground came rising up. The brick slipped from my grasp as I crashed into the ground. Damn. I should have planned that better. The man flipped me over and straddled my waist with his thighs, using his weight to keep me down.
“Get off.” I tried to shove him away.
“Hold still,” he commanded.
I punched and slapped at him to no avail. He blocked every move I made.
“No!”
He grabbed my wrists, forcing them to my sides.
“I’m not going to harm you,” he said, enunciating each word slowly.
There was no getting myself free. The man himself wasn’t overly large, but he had solid definition in his muscles that he used to keep me pinned in place. His form was lithe and he looked like he could move fast and strike hard. Had I just gotten myself into even deeper trouble than with the dragons?
“What do you want?” I asked through clenched teeth.
He had short black hair, olive skin, and yellow eyes that slit like a cat’s. I shuddered. His appearance both attracted and repelled me. He wore tight-fitting black pants and a matching vest. I didn’t recognize the material, but it seemed sort of like leather except the texture was rougher where it rubbed against my skin. There were no buttons or zippers, only laces.
“To talk to you,” he spoke slowly again, as if he was testing the words. His tone was deep and guttural. There was a distinctive accent in his voice I couldn’t place.
I studied him, finding no hint of malice. “Why?”
One corner of his lips curled up. “You are brave…for a human.”
Romanian. His accent sounded sort of like that. Wait. Did he say
human
? Like he wasn’t one? I narrowed my gaze to study his features more closely. He had thick brows, a long nose, and sharp cheekbones that all appeared normal enough. It was only his eyes that stood out as different. Animalistic.
“You’re not the dragon,” I said after taking him in again.
“Am I not?” He sounded amused.
“No.” I shook my head decisively as if that alone could settle it.
He pulled my hand toward his face. His touch was hotter than any human’s I’d ever felt. I tried to jerk away from him, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he lowered his mouth to my palm and blew a light stream of fire over it. I felt the heat, but it didn’t burn.
“What the…?”
I stared at my hand in amazement, then at him. He could blow fire from his mouth—and it didn’t burn me. This couldn’t be happening.
“Does that convince you?” he asked.
His English became more fluid each time he spoke. It was like he knew the words, but hadn’t had many opportunities to use them. I’d met a lot of foreign students who talked like that.
I stared at my hand again. “This isn’t real.”
“No?” He let go of me and stood up. “Then what is it?”
“It’s, um…”
I rose onto my elbows. A picture in my mind flashed of all the people who had burned to death in front of the library. That had been real. As real as all the cuts and scrapes that pained me now. There was no need to pinch myself to check if I was dreaming. But how had I escaped being burned like the other people? First my legs had escaped the flames—minus my pants and shoes—and now my palm.
The guy reached a hand down toward me. “I am called Aidan and you are?”
I stared up at him. Every instinct cried out that I couldn’t trust him, but I also recognized he hadn’t killed me. He certainly could have if he’d wanted. Instead, he claimed he didn’t want to hurt me. A glimpse at the sky revealed dragons flying in the distance—a lot of green ones. Whether this was real or a dream, I’d play along with it for the moment.
“I’m Bailey.”
As soon as my hand met his he pulled me up to my feet.
“You are…smaller than I expected,” he observed, running his gaze up and down my body. “Almost puny.”
I jerked my hand from his. “Did you know you have eyes like a snake? I’ve killed snakes.”
“Good.” He squeezed my bicep as if testing its strength. “Perhaps there is hope for you.”
“Hope? What’s that supposed to mean?”
He gave me an odd look. “You do not burn.”
“I got that.” I glanced at my palm again, still surprised to find it whole. “So?”
“I have enemies—worse than humans,” he replied, as if that explained everything.
“I’m still not getting it.”
He nodded toward the sky. “Those are not my friends.”
Was that why he’d attacked the green dragon? Was there some sort of rivalry going on? He did appear different than the others—both his dragon shape and his coloring.
“Why did you guys come here? And how?” I asked.
His expression darkened. “We were in a different…world. The wall that has separated us from you is weakening.”
I searched for a term that might relate to what he meant.
“Like another dimension?” I cocked my head.
He mulled that over. “Perhaps. We were sent away from Earth long ago.”
“How long…”
A red dragon appeared in the sky, flying toward us from the same direction Aidan had come. I stiffened.
“Do not worry,” he said, glancing at the new arrival. “This one will not harm you.”
It landed next to the dragon Aidan had killed earlier, folded its wings, and sniffed at the carcass. The man in front of me didn’t seem the least bit concerned. In fact, he took hold of my arm and made me walk with him to greet the new arrival. I considered running but knew I wouldn’t get far. Besides, he had saved me from the last dragon who’d attacked. It wouldn’t make sense for him to let this one finish me off.
“
Ihah
,” Aidan said in a commanding voice. “
Ti dah garik neeman
.”
For a second the dragon just stood there, then it turned around and left. Spreading its wings to take flight into an ever-darkening sky. The storm clouds were much closer now and lightning flashed at regular intervals.
“What did you tell him?” And would those words make his kind go away if I said them?
“I ordered him to go and that…I will join him soon.” Aidan turned to face me.
“He’s your friend?”
“He is from my
toriq
,” he paused, “my clan.”
“Can he shape-shift to human form like you?”
“Yes…all of those from my clan can do so,” he replied.
“And the dragon you killed?”
“No.” Aidan shook his head. “He cannot.”
At least he was giving me information. Though I didn’t know if I could trust what he said, I felt compelled to find out all I could. It could be useful later if they stuck around.
“Does it have something to do with your different color?” I asked.
He nodded. “Those who have red scales can shift…but do not trust any other dragon. Only me.”
“Why?”
Thunder rumbled and a flash of lightning cracked nearby.
“I must go.” He turned and began walking back down the sidewalk. “I will see you again soon. Do not talk to other dragons.”
Okay, he seemed to be really stuck on that. Like I was going to run out and find another one to chat with after he left.
“But…” I had a thousand more questions.
“Soon,” he called back.
Aidan reached the open area away from other buildings and trees where his clan member had landed before. Flames erupted, covering him completely. Seconds later they widened and a large dark shape became visible through them. When the fire died down, he reappeared in his dragon form. He really could shift. His leathery wings spread wide and he took off into the air.
Yeah, that settled it. This day really had been doomed from the start.
Chapter 3
Aidan
Taking to the air, Aidan searched for Donar. His cousin wouldn’t have gone far, especially since most of their clan hadn’t made it through the fracturing walls in their world yet. They might be strong fighters, but they were severely outnumbered at the moment. The
Shadowan
and
Thamaran
dragon clans—who couldn’t shift to human form—could be ruthless. It was only the sight of more humans than they’d ever seen before that kept them distracted.
They wanted revenge and he couldn’t say he entirely blamed them. Humans had taken this world for granted while the dragons suffered in a barely hospitable land for all these centuries. They’d nearly starved by the time the veil separating them from Earth started to weaken. Only then did things begin to change and their hopes for a better life returned.
Using his strong sense of smell, Aidan found Donar waiting on the rooftop of a nearby building. He spread his wings wide and sailed down to land next to his cousin. They greeted each other with snorts of steam. It was traditional among dragons in this form.
“
Why were you talking to the human
?” Donar asked, speaking telepathically in their native tongue.
“
She is the dragon slayer I told you about
,” he replied.
His cousin’s eyes widened. “
You are certain?
”
Aidan had chosen not to tell Bailey about herself yet. She needed time to adjust to her new reality. He and the other dragons had been able to see through the veil separating their worlds for nearly two decades, preparing them for what would come. It had been murky at first, but with each year that passed more sections of Earth became visible. That advantage had only worked one way. While humans could accidentally cross into their world, they couldn’t get back. They were left trapped and waited to return as well.
On the Earth side, humans saw a rise in earthquakes and extreme weather, but they didn’t know what was happening. The dragon world experienced the changes to a lesser extent. They did suspect early on it was a side effect of their worlds converging together. They’d been planning for the day when they could finally cross over and return home after being banished for so long.
It was only a year ago Aidan had caught sight of Bailey through the veil. He’d kept track of her as best he could, somehow sensing she might be a dragon slayer. Her features appeared similar to another slayer he’d seen—one from his world—and she’d had the mark on her wrist that looked like a star. It was faint, but he’d confirmed it was the right shape when he’d blown fire onto her palm.
“
It is her
,” he replied with confidence.
“
Do you think you can win her to our side?
” The tone of Donar’s voice in his head sounded skeptical.
Aidan couldn’t blame his cousin. The dragon slayers who’d crossed over to their world would never consider working with the enemy, which was why he had to act quickly before he lost his chance with Bailey. There weren’t many of her kind and he needed her if his plan was to succeed. He’d been plotting it ever since he’d realized dragons would be returning to Earth soon.
“
Come. We must find shelter from the storm before it arrives
.”
He took flight from the roof. The last thing he wanted was to get struck by lightning. It couldn’t burn them, but it had been known to stop a dragon’s heart.
Donar caught up a moment later. “
You didn’t answer my question.
”
Aidan didn’t respond right away, preferring to focus his attention on finding a good place to take shelter. The pure dragons were fleeing the area as well, heading north, but Aidan didn’t want to go the same direction as them. Instead he and his cousin went east. The storm would eventually reach them this way, but they’d be safely under a roof by then.
A lake came into view ahead. He knew humans had a tendency to put homes close to bodies of water. It was an instinct most forms of life had. He passed one house after another until he found one with no signs of occupancy. Landing next to it, he listened closely and sniffed the air. No, no humans had been here in a while.
He shifted to his other form. His cousin did the same, turning into a man who appeared to be in his late twenties by human standards—though he was much older. Donar had the same olive skin color and short black hair as Aidan, but he was larger and had a square face. His cousin tended to move stiffly, as if someone had fused a sword to his spine. It was only when Donar fought that his movements became more fluid.
“I will give her some time,” Aidan finally responded, speaking aloud. “The slayer must witness for herself how difficult getting rid of the pure dragons can be without training. Then I will approach her again.”
If she survived long enough. If she didn’t, then she was not the right one for his needs anyway.
Donar grunted. “That may only convince her not to work with you.”
“You think I can’t convince her?” He lifted a brow.
His cousin was one of the few who knew Aidan and how conniving he could be when necessary. It kept him alive. Each day he continued to breathe was a testament to his skill at making others see him the way he wished. It wasn’t often a third son survived as long as he did when his father was the pendragon—the clan chief.
“Even for you this will be difficult,” Donar said, following him into the cabin. “Every one of her instincts is going to tell her not to trust you.”
Aidan settled onto a musty couch and put his arms behind his head. Human furniture was far more comfortable than anything he’d ever sat on before. Dragons had ways of building things to be durable and resistant to fire, but not very soft. It was a luxury to sit on something with thick cushions.
“I must make her trust me.” Aidan glanced over at his cousin, who remained standing. “It isn’t just my survival that depends on it.”
“That’s what has me worried,” Donar said, beginning to pace the room. “I suspect things could get worse for us once the rest of the clan crosses over. Your father is growing weak and won’t be able to lead much longer.”