Dragon Keep Me

Chapter Fourteen

Natalie

Nadaria and I were sitting at the small kitchen table further back in her shop, which was also her house. The rain was pouring now, and she had the window open so we could listen. I always loved the rain and now I guess I knew why.

"So, yeah, that’s why winter is my favorite time of year," she said, the words riding on a happy sigh. "It is for most water witches anyway. Lots of fun material to work with!"

"So we only control water, and River only controls earth," I said. "Is there a witch that can do both at once?"

"Well, yes, there’s a witch that can control all four elements. She’s one of a kind! But, she’s away at college right now. She’s really sweet. Poor girl had a lot on her plate last year, but she pulled through."

I chuckled. I hadn’t ever imagined when I was in college I was among wolves and witches.

"Are there vampires?" I whispered, leaning closer.

"Oh, yes," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Nasty creatures. I would suggest avoiding their company."

"They drink blood?"

Nadaria stiffened and held up her hand to quiet me. I faintly heard the bells of the shop ring. As they did, a strong, dark feeling of foreboding doom fell over me.

"I thought you locked the door," I whispered.

"I did," she said as she stood and blew out the candle. "Natalie, climb out of the window and run."

"What?"

"No time now, dear," she answered with a tight smile. "Please, just do as I ask."

I climbed up on the counter and scrambled through the window.

"Shhh, as quietly as you can now."

I dropped down to the ground outside, surprised by my own grace and agility, and I pressed up against the house to listen.

I heard the click of a tongue and then someone spoke.

A woman's voice, saying, "I should’ve known." It was wheezy, but penetrating, and made the hair on my neck stand up.

"Why are you here, Morga?" Nadaria asked, keeping her sweet tone. "Looking for a happily ever after?"

My heart froze and my stomach filled with ice.

"Imagine my surprise," Morga said, "when a child I had placed a tracking spell on three decades ago just, poof, appeared out of nowhere. Right here in the realm. Then I follow the spell and I find myself here at your pretentious little shop."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is your mind going in your old age? I've got an herb that could help—"

"Shut up and move, you foolish girl."

There were several seconds of silence, and some shuffling, like fighting.

Nadaria’s voice rang out in the night. "Run, Natalie!"

I looked up at the window and saw a woman with disgusting black gums grinning down at me.

"Hello, girlie," she hissed.

Nadaria’s house edged right up to the forest and I screamed, running into the tree line. It was pitch black, but my vision was clear, and I was moving faster than I ever had in my life, despite the difficult terrain.

"First lesson, baby witch," a voice called behind me. It was lighter than Morga’s, but it still crackled with spite. "Running through the forest from an earth witch is a bad idea."

I tripped and fell flat on my face. My head rang at the impact. That root had not been there a second before. It started wrapping around my ankle and I screamed, yanking away.

I grabbed it, and I didn’t know how, but I froze it solid and was able to break it away in pieces. My small victory was short-lived, and a rock crashed into the side of my head, sending me in a heap to the ground. I groaned, touching the bleeding wound as the world went dark.

Cass

Leo was chuckling as I finished detailing to him the events of the last two days.

"It is not funny!" I hissed.

"I know," he said. "I know it’s not. It just seems like not that long ago our roles were reversed. I was sitting on your couch upset about a girl." He glanced at Enid and she blushed. "And you told me I was being an i***t. So I guess it’s my turn to return the favor."

I glared at him. "So you think I’m being an i***t?"

"Maybe not as much as I was. But, yeah, a little bit."

"I’m so sorry Cass, it was awful to listen to what you’ve gone through," Enid said. "But you’re still in love with Elizabeth, and she’s gone. You can’t punish yourself forever. She wouldn’t want that."

"And have you considered," Leo started, "that your intense love and attraction to Elizabeth is because you were always destined to be with Natalie? She is a part of Elizabeth in a way."

I sighed and leaned back on the couch. Out of nowhere, I felt an intense need to return. To find Natalie. The tattoo burned.

I stared at it, furrowing my brow. "I know I said I would stay the night, but I feel like I need to go back."

I started undressing and Enid giggled, walking into the kitchen.

"I’ve gotta go," I said to Leo, my heart beating faster.

He followed me to the window. "Is everything okay?"

"I don’t know."

"Well then, hurry up. Let me know what’s happening when you find out!"

I climbed out onto the fire escape and jumped, shifting in the air.

‘We need to get there,’ Crux said, on edge.

'As fast as we can,’ I agreed.

We flew faster than we ever had and I breathed a sigh of relief as we crossed over into the realm. The relief was soon gone as I neared Nadaria’s, and recognized thick, black smoke rising into the night sky. Once I was close enough to see, I confirmed that her shop was engulfed in flames.

I landed and shifted, pushing through the panicked crowd that had gathered and walking in through the flames. Fire didn’t bother me.

"Natalie!" I yelled, cupping my hands around my mouth.

I gasped as I entered a small kitchen in the back of the house. Nadaria was here, covered with burns. I thought she was dead at first, but her chest was rising and falling.

"Nadaria!"

She had a massive head wound and a kitchen knife sticking out of her back. The heat from the flames sizzled and blistered her skin.

"Come on," I said, but she was unconscious as I lifted her.

I wrapped my body around her small frame the best I could, and I prayed Natalie wasn’t somewhere in here as I was carrying her to safety. When we got out front, River was there with a few other witches and they were using earth and water to extinguish the flames.

She said, "Nadaria!" and rushed to me.

"River," I croaked through the smoke in my lungs. "Natalie…"

"I don’t know," she said. "I had just returned to tell her the ward stone had been replaced and she could go home if she wanted once we taught her the glamor spell, and I found this."

"It’s Morga!"

She nodded.

I handed Nadaria over to the other witches.

"She needs Eris," River told them, and then disappeared.

I shifted and took off, scanning the forest behind the shop.

‘There!’ Crux hissed.

He’d spotted the smallest bit of movement among the trees. I got closer and saw three people walking. One was dragging a limp body.

‘Natalie!’

Crux dove and descended on the group, rage welling in our chest.

When I landed, I caught them off guard and was able to grab one witch in my jaws. I crunched a few of her bones and then threw her into a nearby tree. I snarled at the others. The old crone Morga and her daughter Una, an air witch.

"You," Morga hissed. "Traitorous boy."

She was a fire witch, so she was immune to fire. Not good for a dragon.

She tried to make it to her fallen daughter, Petra, obviously not wanting to leave her. She was valuable to Morga. A lot of invested time. I stepped between them and shifted.

"Give me her," I said, indicating Natalie, "and you can have Petra."

Morga knitted her eyebrows together. "What do you care for this girl, dragon?"

She answered her own question, though, when her eyes fell on my wrist. She glanced back at Natalie to confirm that I was, indeed, her True One.

"Oh-ho-ho, I see," she said, cackling. "Love. My favorite weakness to exploit. How about you let me get my daughter and I won’t cut this girl’s throat right now."

She pulled a jeweled dagger out of her robes and grabbed Natalie’s hair, placing it at her throat. Even as fast as I was, I couldn’t reach them in time to stop her.

"No!" I yelled. "What do you want? Anything, please."

I flashed back to a similar moment in my life. When I wasn't able to save Elizabeth.

Morga grinned. "I want your dragon."

I stared at her. "What? No."

She pulled an enormous soul stone out of her pocket. "I need your dragon's soul. I’m working on something right now and I need a nice, big soul to fuel it."

I was shaking my head. Absolutely not.

She shrugged. "Okay," and then dug the knife tip into Natalie’s throat.

"Wait!" I cried, watching a dark droplet of blood rush down her neck.

‘Do it,’ Crux said.

'What! I can't!"

‘We have to save her,’ he said, and whined. ‘But you better save me too, Cass.’

‘No, no. There’s got to be another way. How can I save you if I’m just a human?’

"You've got five seconds!" Morga yelled, looking back to make sure no one else was coming.

‘Fine if you won’t do it, I will,’ Crux hissed, growling.

He forced the shift and Morga grinned, knowing she’d won.

‘Crux don’t. You choose now of all times to be selfless? Don’t!’

'I know you'll save me, Cass.'

My dragon took control and walked to Morga, presenting her his forehead. She stood and slammed the soul stone into it.

The pain was blinding, my soul ripping in two as he was sucked away into the depths of the stone. I shifted back to my human self, and fell to my knees. Morga was cackling, and I looked up to see the stone was swirling now, my dragon’s soul locked inside.

"Crux. No!" I whispered.

Morga raised her hand and smacked me across the face. I was only a human now, and it hurt more than I was expecting. I reached up and touched the blood dripping from my mouth. No healing either.

"Let’s go, leave her," Morga said. They hurried to where Petra lay and then disappeared.

My chest and mind felt empty, missing half of myself.

"Natalie," I whispered, crawling to her.

She had a head wound, but it was healing. I touched her face and she leaned into my hand.

‘Now what?’ I asked.

My question was answered with silence.