Of course, there was always the option to not bond.
Hmm. He sat upon a rock and stroked his chin to contemplate this potentially land mine-laden field some more.
Back home many couples married and built families much the same way as the people on Earth, and did so with happiness and contentment. Then there were those who took their commitment to the ultimate level and became bonded mates, meshing their emotions as deeply as the man seated his cock inside his woman as the Sacred Vow was spoken. Forever entwined. One always a part of the other. Even beyond death.
That level of devotion was not something to take lightly, especially to a
Llanos
warrior who already was the ultimate example of responsibility and loyalty.
Jesu
, look what happened to Bale when his wife and child were killed. And they had only been married, for Bale hadn’t trusted his wife enough to bond. The grief and guilt over being unable to protect them had annihilated the warrior’s humanity, leaving him a seething cauldron of rage and vengeance that brought him all the way to Earth to kill Lucian, who he felt was responsible for the tragedy. Only Amaryllis’ deft hand had brought Bale out of the well of suffering. Barely.
Amaryllis believed the warrior could be rehabilitated and Dhavin trusted his princess explicitly, but at times he wondered if perhaps Lucian had been right and the assassin should have been put down when the chance had arisen. Of course Amaryllis would have made earrings out of their testicles if they had succeeded.
If he were to lose Fiona, would he plunge into the abyss of despair like Bale?
No. No. That fate was not a possibility. While Earth had its share of hardships and strife, it was a paradise compared to the harshness of Skandavia. What a relief it was to know that in this little corner of the world, no war would harm them and there was no villain too ominous, for his powers would keep them safe.
The sensation of a sharp, razor-like sting under his right ear and a strangled cry brought him up short.
Over the pounding of his hearts, Dhavin listened through the wind. To the right, about a mile out, distress vibrated along the tree limbs like a tuning fork.
With the opening of the casino, the crime rate in town had steadily increased. A result that was to be expected when launching an industry that fed off lowered inhibitions and delusions of grandeur. Most of the misconduct was relegated to the casino itself or the streets leading to and fro. But the woods were lovely, dark and deep, or so he had once heard them described in a poem, and the thick, gnarly forest of the Cascade Mountain range concealed secrets of the illicit and nefarious kind.
The Deep South had their moonshiners, in the Northwest, it was meth labs. Score a small win in the casino and a celebratory dime bag was within easy reach. Short on funds? A pocket was readily available to pick.
Dhavin raced over frozen pine needles and crunchy leaves. Twenty yards from his destination he climbed up the sturdiest-looking pine tree to perch in the foliage and observe the situation.
In the moonless night the players were nothing more than shadows moving through the darkness, but their heightened emotions were as effective as a spotlight.
Two men surrounded a third, who appeared bulky enough to be able to defend himself against his slighter-built opponents, but seemed to lack the will. He cried and held his hand to the side of his head as blood oozed from between his fingers.
“Shut up, bitch,” said one of the assailants as he backhanded the howling man, knocking him to his knees. “Take your spanking like a good little girl.”
“You didn’t have to cut off my ear, dude,” he whined in a high-pitched voice that sent a chill rattling along Dhavin’s teeth like metal scraping metal.
“Why do you need it, if you don’t listen?”
“I’m sorry, man. I said I was sorry. I’ll have your money tomorrow. I promise.” From his back pocket he withdrew a handful of tiny plastic baggies containing a spoonful of powder each. “Look, here’s the stash Smithwick fronted me. Take it. It’s all there.”
Except for the ounce the man consumed earlier in the evening, Dhavin noticed, digging his fingers into the tree bark as his vision blurred. Whatever strain of meth the man was on dulled his pain, but the adrenaline-laced panic feeding into his heart could not be controlled, pummeling Dhavin with the sensations. The man’s drug-fueled terror scattered out in a dozen different directions, both cloudy and sharp, like shards of glass poking through cotton batting.
“It’s not my money.” Thug number one grabbed Earless by the hair. “Mr. Smithwick was very kind when he granted you an extension. Your directive was clear. Three new clients or ten Gs by Friday, otherwise your ass becomes ours to do with as we wish. My choice is to make Christmas decorations out of your body parts. Heinz here may have other uses for your ass. He has clients with some kinky tastes, but he’ll have to try you out first.”
Heinz, who up until now was a silent statue witnessing the proceedings, unclasped his hands to readjust his cock through his black slacks.
“No! Please don’t fuck me. Let me go. I have two girls I can get you tonight. Let me call them and I can get them here in minutes, with cash. I’m telling you. They’re ready to buy.”
“If they were, you would have brought them to me already. And that still leaves you one short, Travis.” He kicked Earless between the shoulder blades and stepped on his neck. “What do you say, Heinz? Want to teach this bitch a lesson?”
Dhavin pulled the cell phone from his belt and sent Reutgers, the deputy on duty, a text message.
The Chameleon’s role was to be more of a deterrent than judge, jury and executioner, yet Dhavin wouldn’t balk at eliminating a threat if needed. Only his respect of his sheriff and her judgment stayed his hand. The agreement Brett made with Kristos was that the Chameleon would never interfere with police business, and while the justice system of this world rarely dispensed true justice, Dhavin made the same promise when he agreed to bear the mantle. Permanently eliminating these undesirables required no effort on his part, however Brett would see the truth, and he did not want to disappoint his commander.
Reutgers replied seconds later with an affirmative and an ETA. Dhavin adjusted his stance, ready to make sure none of the party left the scene.
Smithwick was a name the police department was hearing more and more of in recent months. A player in the city, Smithwick had his fingers in larceny, drugs and prostitution. He sent associates to manage his projects, never leaving himself open to be identified. His poison was growing and beginning to infect scenic Cedar and endangering the quiet haven the citizens had taken pride in creating. Lucky for them, the Chameleon was there to beat crime’s ugly head back into submission.
“Relax,” Heinz rumbled in a voice made of gravel. He grabbed the back of Travis’ baggy jeans and yanked them down, exposing the flesh of his ass. “You might like this.”
“I think you’ll like prison more,” Dhavin called out, jumping from his perch and landing on graceful feet before the trio. Not even a drug dealer deserved to be desecrated in such a manner. “Make this easy on yourself and put your hands on your head.”
Thug one was the first to wake from the shock of his arrival. “Hey, you’re the lizard guy. Well, fuck you. We’re conducting business here.” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a snub-nosed pistol.
“I see.” Dhavin nodded his head. “Let me rephrase my request.”
On an exhale he traced across the slight distance, grabbing the two hired guns by the lapels of their wool sports coats and knocking their skulls together before the cloud of his heated breath rose over his head. He dropped the bodies where they stood and cuffed their wrists with the plastic ties he kept in his satchel. He then strode over to the weeping Travis, who was rolling in the sticky pine needles, struggling in the dark to pull up his pants.
Dhavin waited for him to gather what shred of dignity he could muster. Once he was properly clothed, he stopped him with a firm shout. “Stay where you are. You will be going to jail. The choice is yours as to whether you go under your own control or slumped in a chair, like those two.”
“Let me go, man. Please. Come on. I was almost ass-fucked.”
“If you end up in the same cell as those two, you still might be. The night is young. Perhaps that will remind you what happens when you deal with nefarious people.”
Travis picked up one of the plastic bags by his knees and held it up as if it were a winning lottery ticket. “Take them. Sell them, use it yourself. I don’t care. Just let me go.”
“What about Smithwick? Won’t he be sending more men after you?”
“I don’t care,” he shrieked. “Just let me go.”
Dhavin crouched down until they were nose to nose. “And how many others did you let go? How many did you keep from being destroyed by the drugs you provided them? How many lives did you help to their death?”
“Hey, man. That has nothing to do with me. I didn’t put a gun to their head and force them to use. They came to me. If they want to fuck themselves up, that’s their fault.”
“What an appropriate choice of words. Considering you were about to be fucked yourself. As you said, that’s your fault.” He smiled and straightened to a stand as he sensed the careful approach of others. “Right on time, Officer Reutgers. Over here. All but one suspect is restrained, but I don’t think he’ll be giving you any trouble.”
Reutgers and another officer stepped into the clearing with pistols at the ready. When they saw he had the scene secure, they lowered their weapons.
“You started without me?” Reutgers asked with a nod in greeting.
“Events were taking a turn for the gruesome and I could not, in good conscience, allow them to continue.”
“What exactly do we got going on here?”
“For this one here, possession with an intent to distribute. As for those two, not much, unfortunately. They’re Smithwick’s men, but the most I can testify to is assault for the smaller of the two and attempted rape for the one he called Heinz.”
“No! Don’t say that!” Travis shouted. “Do you know what will happen to me if people hear that shit? Don’t say anything, just keep them away from me.”
Dhavin’s powers picked up the slightest flicker of malice from the officer. Reutgers was as protective of his community as Brett was, and Dhavin sensed the idea of fucking with a person who threatened that safety was as alluring as a wallet full of dollar bills found on the sidewalk. No one would blame you for taking it, but that didn’t make the deed right.
A cloud formed from Reutgers’ mouth as he sighed and shook his head. “We’ll leave the charges at assault. Nothing more. Thanks, Chameleon. We’ll take it from here.”
“Let me know if you require anything more from me.”
“Got it.” He scratched at the stubble on his chin. “How many of Smithwick’s men have you roughed up now?”
Good question. He knew of eight he dealt with personally, but he had no idea of how many Kristos had put a stop to. “Not enough, in my opinion.”
“Not that we don’t appreciate the help, but you may want to call us in sooner. Stopping these thugs is our job, you’re a private citizen. He may make things personal if you continue to interfere in his business.”
“Don’t worry about me, Officer. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. Smithwick is but an annoying insect compared to the villains I’ve faced. If he wants to make it personal, I say have at me.”
Reutgers shook his head. “You’ve got balls, Chameleon. I’ll give you that.”
“Do your part, Officer, and I’ll do mine.”
* * * * *
Fiona felt her stomach knot like pretzel dough as she and her aunt huddled around Mags while she scrolled through the weather forecast updates on her smartphone.
Snow, snow and more snow was expected to dump over half of the state beginning at eight that evening. How the meteorologists were so precise with their predications baffled her, but no matter what time the white stuff was expected to fall, the outcome was going to be the same—a crappy commute and lack of customers.
A dusting of snow was common in the wintertime with their location on the mountain but usually any precipitation melted by afternoon, disappearing as quickly as it arrived. This time however, the forecast was for feet of snow and below-freezing temperatures. On the steep, twisting mountain roads, that made a deadly combination.
Through the big picture window, the sun shone bright and beautiful, making it difficult to believe the storm of the century was on its way, but life on the mountain taught you to be prepared for anything. Two years earlier the town council downplayed weather reports less ominous than those currently playing and twelve people died when trying to navigate roads that should have been closed or treated for ice. Though the town’s resources were slim, the lesson was learned and every precaution was taken to prevent another disaster.
The one upside of the impending doom was the shop was extra busy with people doing some last-minute shopping before becoming potentially homebound.
The bell chimed, announcing the arrival of two more customers.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Dow,” Fiona greeted the first guest while Bridget waited on the second and Mags continued to watch the trending topics on her phone. “What can I get for you today?”