Authors: Kylie James
Chapter Twelve
They
lunged at each other like the rivals they were, entangled on the grassy lawn of
the garden. It was about midnight, and she’d visited once more, threatening to
destroy him. Briefly, they pulled apart and danced around each other. Their
wings making a flapping sound as they moved.
In his
dragon form, he was more than twenty feet high with wings that could spread to
thirty feet. His entire body was like a lean, mean muscular machine. Only his
back carried the red scales. His form looked just like a man with powerful
arms, torso and thighs. His head was part dragon, part man. A magnificent
creature was the Dragon Master, a title given to him three hundred years ago
when he had to fight off many dragons in the dungeon he was trapped in.
The
difference between Bronte the dragon and the others was his human instinct for
survival, and now, his strength was from his desire to save the woman he loved.
This gave him the edge over the other creatures. He was the alpha dragon.
Steam
emitted from Bronte’s nostrils when he remembered that Hilda tried to harm
Silene. He’d never spat fire before, but now, he felt the fire burn in the
depths of his gut. It energized him and made him want to rip her apart, though
he knew it was futile because she’d made herself indestructible.
“You
will die tonight, Lord Bronte, I’ll make sure of that,” she spat at him.
“You
can certainly try!” She flung herself at him, but he was expecting her and
knocked her away with his wing. “You have to do better than that!”
“I
should have killed you three hundred years ago!” She screamed at him.
“You
should have. Now, look at what you’ve created,” he laughed.
She
shrieked and came at him again, much more fiercely than before, but Bronte was
still stronger and managed to overpower her. She detangled herself and stepped
back, shifting back to her human form.
“Very
well then, Lord Bronte, if I can’t destroy you with my strength, I’ll just have
to with my powers!”
“Bring
it on witch!”
She
raised both her hands, tilted her head back and uttered, “Power of the wind I
summon thee!”
He felt
the swirl of air around him. There were leaves flying around and shrubs were
also uprooted as Hilda created a powerful ball of wind. Then, she thrust her
hands forward. He was thrown back a few hundred feet, and then he felt himself
hit the ground and skated on his back a few more meters. Bronte was in awe of
what he witnessed, but had no time to marvel.
As he
rose from the ground, she was coming at him again, and he was hurled across the
garden. After being thrown across the garden several times, Bronte finally
gathered some control and figured out how to avoid her assault.
The
burning feeling in his belly was still there, and he was still fuming at the
nostrils. He wondered if he summoned the fire what would happen. He had to give
it a try, so he pulled up his diaphragm and made a sucking sound. He could feel
the fire rise to his chest and enter his mouth. It was an exhilarating feeling
as he opened his mouth and blew.
Hilda
was clearly thrown off guard by this. His fireball engulfed her, burning off
the beautiful, shiny raven hair she sported, and scorching her face, leaving it
black as coal. Her dark clothes were also burned and melted into her body.
“Arghhh!”
She screamed in anger. “You’re dead you beast!”
“The
beast you created,” he retorted.
“Fine,
Lord Bronte. I can’t have you then no one will. Prepare to lose your lover. If
I can’t destroy you, then I’ll just have to destroy her!”
“You
will not harm her!” He warned.
“There
is nothing you can do to protect her now,” her voice was chilling to his ear.
He knew
she meant what she said. If only he could protect Silene all the time, but he
could not. She wouldn’t allow him to. He knew she was avoiding him because of
what she knew, and he was avoiding her because he wanted to keep her safe.
Hilda didn’t care, all she wanted was to hurt him in the most painful way, and
destroying Silene was it.
“I
can’t let you destroy another woman of mine Hilda,” he stepped menacingly
towards her, but he moved swiftly away.
“Then,
there is only one way to save her,” she said. “You know how.”
She
disappeared before he could respond, her voice echoing in the dark garden. He knew
exactly what she meant. There was only one way to save Silene and that meant
eternal hell for him. If only he could figure out the connection between
himself and Silene, he could save her.
“Hilda!”
He shouted in the dark. “Hilda, I know you’re still here!”
“You
rang, my sweet?” She appeared out of thin air still looking like something that
the cat dragged in.
“What
you do want from me?” He asked, though he knew what she really wanted.
“Bargaining?
I like that. But you know very well what I want, my handsome, noble lord,” she
moved closer to him, that she could feel the chill coming from her. She was
circling him like a predator circling its prey, “You know very well what I want
and that’s you.”
He
knew, if he refused, Silene would be in greater danger. He had to buy some
time, so he tried to reason with her, “I know, but you must give me time to
wrap up business here. Sort out my estate.”
“I’ll
give you three days, Lord Bronte, then it’s bye-bye Silene,” she snickered.
“That’s
not enough. I have hundreds of employees over the state and several business
deals that need to be signed.”
“Then,
you’re wasting time, get moving,” she disappeared again, but her voice echoed
through the garden as it did before. “You have three days Lord Bronte and
then…,” her voice trailed off into nothingness.
“Hilda!
Hilda, that’s not enough!” He shouted, but he could tell that her presence had
left.
He had
three days to come up with a plan or it was sacrifice either way. There was no
time to spare, and no matter how much he summoned Hilda that night, she did not
appear to him again. He could not call the professor in the middle of the
night, so he went to his study and started making a plan.
It was
then that he realized something was different. The secret door was slightly
ajar and a book was missing from off the shelf. He staggered back when he
realized which book it was. She must have stumbled upon the study. If she knew
everything, then there was no telling how terrified she was of him.
He
pushed the shelf which opened up to the cave and the lights were on. He knew
he’d left them off because, technically, he didn’t need it. He could see very
well in the dark. He’d only installed the lights in case of an emergency.
She had
definitely been there. He could smell her. There was something about being in
the cave that awakened in his reptilian senses. He could also sense her fear
when she moved around, seeing the scales and talons.
Bronte
figured, if she knew everything, then she was in more danger than he originally
thought. Silene would surely never give in to Hilda and would fight back. This
was what scared him the most. If he didn’t find the answer in three days, then
he had no choice but to go with Hilda. That would mean never seeing her again.
He
spent the rest of the night making a list of things he needed to do in those
three days, at the same time, hoping that Professor George would have some
answers for him. The first thing he did was to contact his lawyer and made
plans for his estate, should he disappear without a trace. This included his
home and assets.
He’d
dissolved his assets before, every time he changed identities, but this was
different. He wasn’t about to find a new location or his family history. This,
he would have to go to hell wherever Hilda said, whether it’s back in time of
somewhere in hell, in order to save his one love.
It’s
always been easy. Sometimes, he would keep his name and pretended he was the
son or grandson of Bronte Petrakis. Other times, he changed his name
completely, and then recycled it again once in a while. The one constant was
that he built a family tree around himself, so anyone getting suspicious would
think him the son or grandson of one of his personas. He sometimes kept some of
the houses he lived in, then returned decades later to reclaim it as the son or
grandson of the past owner. It worked well for three hundred years, and he had
hoped that it would work for another century or two. Now, this may very well be
the end of his contrived family tree.
Once he
decided what to do in the event he had to disappear, he called the professor.
There was no time to fly to Boston so he dialed the faculty number but got no
response. When he dialed the home number, the housekeeper answered.
“I’m
sorry, sir, the professor is in the hospital,” she informed him. “He had some
chest pains and he was admitted a couple of days ago.”
“Which
hospital is it?” He asked her, his heart sinking.
“Boston
memorial, sir,” he could hear the worry in her voice, so he didn’t press her
further. He’d wanted to ask if perhaps her employer left any messages for him.
The last time they spoke, he said he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
So, he
was on his own. No professor to give him advice or guide him on how to deal
with Hilda. All the professor had told him was that Silene was the key, but he
wanted her as far away from Hilda as possible. There was no way he wanted to
use her or sacrifice her to save his own skin. So, it was settled in his mind.
Chapter Thirteen
It was
strange. When he didn’t lock himself in some secret meeting in his office, he
was out on some other secret mission. He hadn’t bothered her or even asked how
she was doing. He came to the office early and left quite late. Then, all of a
sudden he dropped the bombshell that he was moving to Greece indefinitely.
It was
during a meeting where he called all the managers from all the divisions
together in the board room. He had this strange look on his face, one that
Silene could not figure out. She kept her gaze on him the entire meeting,
hoping to catch his eyes, but it seemed he was deliberately avoiding her.
Did he
know that she knew? That was the only explanation she could think of for his
behavior. His voice penetrated her thoughts and brought her back to the meeting
in progress. All the branches of his real estate company will be franchised
immediately, and the main office will have a new CEO within the next few days.
All employee positions will remain secure for the next five years or until they
resign or retire, whichever came first.
“Any
questions?” He was asking.
“Sir,
who will be the new CEO?” It was Debra from the main office asking. She worked
in the accounts department and Silene had met her on a few occasions. She was
African American, tall, built like a model, with long braids. She had a pretty
face with a small button nose and full lips that always seem to be pouting.
“You
will know soon enough,” he replied apologetically. “I really can’t disclose
much at this meeting, but I guarantee you will like your new boss very much.”
“Sir,
why the sudden change?” Someone asked. She wanted to ask a few questions of her
own but held back.
“It's
personal,” he replied.
She
kept her eyes on him, but he never once glanced her way. She wondered what was
going on in that handsome head of his. He was truly a unique man. Handsome,
with strong cheekbones and sensuous lips. And she always loved the way he
brushed back his long hair into a pony tail. Sometimes, he’d gone a day or two
without shaving and that was when he was sexiest.
She
found herself lost in a fantasy and knew she had to figure out why he was
suddenly leaving. Was it because she had distanced herself for the last few
days? She wanted to explain to him why she distanced herself. She wanted to
tell him not to go, but could she love him the way he was? She wasn’t sure. The
thought of that thing inside him still scared her and gave her the creeps.
Maybe, if she found the cure to break the curse that could be together,
regardless of his age.
Chapter Fourteen
She was
contemplating going to the mansion to see him as he had avoided her all week.
According to him, today was his last day in America, and she may never get to
see him again. Silene was getting angry with Bronte. Why wasn’t he trying hard
enough to break the curse? Why was he running away?
She’d
only just grabbed her car keys when someone knocked on her door. Irritated, she
opened it and stared up in the face of the man she was now thinking about. It
was around seven, and he smelled like he’d been drinking. His hair was messed
up, out of its usual neat ponytail. He’d discarded his jacket somewhere and his
shirttails were out of his pants.
“Bronte?”
She looked at him in disbelief, never seeing him disheveled before.
“I need
to talk to you,” he said, stepping past her into the apartment.
“Sure,”
she closed the door and waited.
“Here,”
he held out his hand and handed her a large brown manila envelope. “Please
don’t’ open it until after midnight.”
“What’s
in it?” She was curious.
“Promise
me, you will only open it after midnight,” he insisted.
“I
promise.” He hesitated and then turned as if to leave. “Bronte, wait.” He
turned to face her, “Why are you leaving like this?” She asked.
“It’s
something I have to do,” he looked pained as he said it.
“I
don’t’ understand any of this. Why can’t you do it here? Why Greece?” She was
getting more upset. “Why are you running away?”
“I’m
not running away, Silene. This was meant to be. It’s been a long time coming,”
he walked to the door and pulled it open, then he stopped and turned. “Whatever
happens, know this… I love you!” He stepped out and the door closed behind him.
“Bronte!
Bronte!” She called after him.
She ran
to the door and flung it open, but he was already gone. When she ran to the
parking lot, he’d already driven out. She only saw his taillights going through
the gates. What did he mean ‘this was meant to be’? Was there something else
going on he wasn’t saying?
She
went back to her apartment to figure things out. Was that a goodbye, and what
the hell was in the envelope? She was tempted to open it, and then she remembered
her promise. She was sure there were papers in there, she could tell that by
how flat it was.
He
didn’t even tell her what time his flight was… nothing. Why was he being so
secretive about the whole thing? He said he loved her, but didn’t kiss her, not
even a hug goodbye. If he was never going to see her again, shouldn’t they at
least spend the last few moments together?
For the
next few hours, she was restless. She paced the floor, turned on the TV, and
paced the floor some more, turned off the TV then resumed the pacing. This
continued for about three hours. She’d made up her mind to forget Bronte when
her phone rang.
“Bronte?”
She blurted out.
“This
is Professor George. He gave me your number and asked me to check on you when
he’s gone, but Silene, I can’t bear this anymore. You have got to stop him.”
“What
can I do, his plane must have left already.”
“Oh no,
he’s not going on a plane, my dear. He’s making the ultimate sacrifice to save
you!”
“What
do you mean,
ultimate sacrifice
to save me?” She was confused.
“Listen
carefully. Bronte is no normal man…,” he started to tell her but she was
impatient.
“I know
all that Professor. I know all about the curse. Now, tell me what did you mean
sacrifice
?”
There
was a pause on the other end of the line and then he told her, “He is giving
himself to the witch to save you. But…”
She
interrupted him, “What? Where? How?”
“First,
you must know this in order to save him. You are the
key
. The only
problem is, are you willing to save him? That’s the only way.”
“
I
am the key
?”
“Yes,”
he said into the phone. “But only you can figure it out. That is why she
threatened to destroy you and Bronte. He made a deal that she would leave you
alone if he went with her.”
“Where?”
Her voice became throaty.
“I
don’t know, but I know that the mansion may hold some answers.”
“Professor,”
she said. “How do you know I’m the key?”
“He’s
never loved anyone the way he loves you, and I know that the riddle isn’t about
some flower. A beautiful woman is represented by flowers, plus you were named
for one of the rarest plants on earth,” he told her.
After
the professor spoke to her, she hung up the phone in a daze. This world she got
caught up in was something out of a movie. What the man told her kept echoing
in her head,
‘you are the key’.
“I am
the key? But, how?’ she said to the empty apartment. “How can I break this
curse?” She started pacing again, with renewed energy and focus. “If I am the
key, then I cannot allow him to sacrifice himself for me. I must do something.”
The
brown envelope caught her eye and she glanced at the clock. It was eleven
thirty, but that didn’t matter now. She must see what he’d given her. She
picked it up and ripped it open, revealing its contents. There was a deed to
the mansion. She threw that on the table and looked at the second document. It
was the official appointment to the post of CEO of Summit Development. She
didn’t need to see anymore. She could guess that he’d left all his assets in
her care; however, those things didn’t’ matter to her if he was not there.
“What
the hell is he thinking? I don’t need all this!” Her voice echoed through the
room.
She
threw down the rest of the papers, picked up her keys and headed out the door,
hoping that the professor was right and he was still in the mansion. Luckily
for her, at the speed she was going, the road was clear at that time of night.
It was
close to midnight when she arrived to find the place in darkness. Somehow, she
felt compelled to see for herself if he was really gone or just asleep. The
door was unlocked so she pushed it and entered. First, she checked his bedroom,
it was empty.
“Bronte?”
She called, just in case he was sleeping somewhere else in the building.
“Bronte!”
There
was no answer and she felt the eerie quietness of the place. Suddenly, it occurred
to her to check the study. The room was empty, but she didn’t leave. She pushed
the secret door and switched the lights on, then stepped onto the cold stone
path that led to the cave beneath. There were voices below. She could make out
the chilling voice of Hilda compared to the warmth of Bronte’s.
“I am
here. You promised me you wouldn’t touch her!”
“Then
step into this ring with me,” Hilda said.
Silene
reached the bottom of the steps and saw Bronte standing before Hilda, who
looked different from before. Her hair was now white and she looked much
younger. There was a circle with markings made on the floor with white chalk.
There was a seven point star in the center of the circle with black stones at
each the seven points of the star. The stones glistened in the flickering
lights.
“Bronte,
no!” She cried as he moved to the circle.
He
turned around, stunned that she was there, “Silene, you shouldn’t be here.”
“You
can’t do this Bronte. How can you do this?”
“Because
I love you,” he said, stepping closer to her, but Hilda was quick and threw one
of her power balls hitting Bronte off guard. He was hurled against the hard
rock of the cave and fell to the ground motionless.
“No!”
Silene screamed and ran to him, but Hilda was there before her.
“How
dare you come here? He is promised to me now, he cannot break that pact,” the
witch declared.
“You
can’t have him Hilda. I won’t let you.”
“Then
prepare to die!”
The
witch waved her hand and a rock, the size of a basketball whipped through the
air and would have crushed Silene’s skull hadn’t something blocked it. Silene
had closed her eyes, and held up her hands in defense, but when she realized
the thing hadn’t hit her and Hilda was screaming angrily, she opened her eyes.
He was
like something out of a comic book, all sinewy and powerfully magnificent. Her
breath caught at his stature, which seemed to fill the cave, and those wings
were breathtaking. She gasped at the sight, not sure if she should be afraid or
relieved. She’d never seen anything like it. One moment, he was all man, and
the next, he was a twenty foot dragon, only he still looked like Bronte to her.
When
Hilda saw that Bronte had protected Silene, she was enraged. Her one move was
to get Silene in a neck hold, “Stay back or I will break her neck! She’s human,
she’ll die.”
“Okay,
Hilda. Now, let her go. I’ll come with you.”
“Too
late, Lord Bronte you cannot be trusted.”
“I
promise I’ll come to you if you let Silene go,” he promised. “If you kill her,
we will be forever enemies. You choose. You can have me, or have me as an
enemy.”
“Bronte,
no don’t do it!” Silene screamed through the choking that Hilda was giving her.
“I have
to, to keep you safe,” he said, looking at her in that adoring way he was used
to. That look gave her the strength to wrestle from Hilda’s grasp and run
towards Bronte. Hilda moved behind her and pulled her back but she punched the
witch and ran into Bronte’s winged embrace.
“You
can’t leave me, Bronte, you just can’t!”
“Silene,
look at me. How can I stay with you being this way?”
“We’ll
find the cure. You can’t give up!” she embraced him while Hilda looked on in
bewilderment. She stood as if transfixed to the spot she stood in.
“No,
you will never break this curse,” she shrieked. “You can’t.”
Silene
eyes watered and tears ran down her cheeks at the thought of losing Bronte
forever, “We’ll find it, we must.”
“I’m
not a man, Silene. Can you be with a creature like me?”
“Yes, I
love you! I love you…all of you!” she looked adoringly at his half-man
half-reptilian state.
At that
point, they heard the most blood curdling scream. They turned to see Hilda
gripping the sides of her head, “Noooooooooooooo!”
It was
then that Silene knew what the professor meant by she being
the key
. It
was her love. Being able to love him both as a man and as dragon. It was the
same with the princess and the frog. If the princess could love the frog as a
frog, she would get her prince.
She
turned to Bronte, “Do you love me?”
“You
know I do,” he replied, looking into her eyes.
“Then
trust me,” she reached up and cupped his face which was almost human, and as
she was about to kiss him, he began to change back into a human.
Their
lips met and they embraced tightly, kissing deeply. When they pulled apart, the
dragon shadow was hovering menacingly over Hilda who was on her ass on the
ground. She looked terrified.
“I’m
free!” Bronte exclaimed looking at the shadow that occupied his body for three
hundred years.
At that
moment, the most spectacular thing happened. The dragon shadow pounced upon
Hilda, and there was a violent struggle between them. Finally, she started to
fade like vapor into the air, until she was no more. Her screams also faded
with her, putting an end to the curse of the dragon master.