Darkbeam Part I

Chapter 8-1

For the next few nights I dreamed about the redhead. I didn’t mention anything about who I suspected she was or ask what her name was. I just enjoyed our time together. We were close. I just wanted to spend more time with her.

These dreams were dangerous. So dangerous.

When I woke up, I felt terribly alone, sad even. I badly wanted her to be real. After a while, I didn’t want to feel any of this anymore and the fights that Phil mentioned started to… No. That was inhuman and I would just tumble into the darkness more quickly.

I had to fight the darkness, anything that could lead to the darkness. I couldn’t succumb.

That night, I found myself at Longbottom’s again.

It was a weeknight. I’d slipped out, as the room was getting too quiet.

I just couldn’t stand Lucian’s empty bed. I wondered about him a lot.

Maybe my mom was right. Maybe I should go and see him. See how he was doing, ask what was taking so long. Why hadn’t he returned yet?

But then the nauseated feeling jumped into my head again and I pushed him to the back of my mind. I doubted he wanted to see me anyway.

“Blakey.” Phil’s voice came from behind me. I flinched when his scaly paw touched my shoulder.

He was in his human form.

I took another sip of my beer. “What do you want, Phil?”

“You know what I want. Samuel is waiting for your answer.”

“Tell Sam to go f**k himself. He can be glad I’m not reporting this.”

Phil laughed. “We’re trying to help you.”

“By pushing more darkness into me, Phil? You must be cleverer than that.”

He just stared at me. A faint smile on his face.

“Don’t say I didn’t try.”

I couldn’t help but feel this was a threat.

I ordered another beer and watched Phil leave.

“What was that about?” Charlie, one of the bartenders asked.

“Nothing,” I muttered. “He’s an idiot.”

I stayed till about midnight and then flew back to the Academy.

A couple of days later, my father showed up at school. He was with one of Samuel’s goons.

I closed my eyes. Dad, what did you do? I walked with huge strides to the entrance.

Master Longwei was speaking to my father.

My father pretended that everything was okay, that the man next to him was one of his men.

Little did Master Longwei know what a drunk and useless piece of s**t he’d turned out to be. All the traces of the king’s dragon were gone.

“A word, son.”

Master Longwei looked at me. I nodded.

The dude wielded a shield the minute Master Longwei disappeared into the castle.

“What do you want?” I grunted at my father. “What are you doing with this i***t?”

“I’m in trouble, Blake. Samuel is going to...”

“I don’t care. I’m not fixing your mess.”

The big guy put his hand on my shoulder. I looked at it and back at him, eyes narrowing.

“Your father borrowed money from Samuel and claims he cannot pay it back. The offer still stands, Blake. If not, we will take our pound of flesh another way.”

I laughed. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Take your pound of flesh. It might just do him some good.” I spat that last word in my father’s face.

“Blake, you don’t know what you’re saying!” my father yelled after me.

I didn’t give a s**t.

“Please. I’ll get help.”

“If you knew what they wanted from me, you would rather take the beating, Dad.” I whirled. As much as I hated what my father was about to go through, I couldn’t do what they asked. Killing my own kind? It would push me over the edge.

I entered the castle and found Master Longwei at the foot of the stairs. I pretended not to see him and vaulted up two steps at a time.

“Blake, is everything okay?” He asked in his strong Chinese accent.

I nodded and went to my room.

The next few days, I kept an eye on the tabloids. They hadn’t posted anything about my father for such a long time. But a beating like this was newsworthy, front page even.

He was still King Albert’s dragon, even though many had forgotten that, including himself. I used to look up to him. He was so big but now, he’d become so small.

The old Sir Robert would never ask anyone to sort his s**t out. Not to mention asking his own son who he knew was predestined for evil. I had no idea who this Robert was.

I’d even considered changing my mind, but all I could think about was holding on. Doing everything in my power to hold on longer, this game, tournament that Samuel wanted me to compete in…

I couldn’t. I had to stay strong.

I took another midnight flight when my room started to feel cramped.

As I flew, I came across a colony of dragons. About five or six of them.

“A word, Blake,” one of them said. I recognized his voice; it was one of Samuel’s guys.

“What don’t you get? I told him to take his pound of flesh. Believe me, my father needs it more than you think.”

The dragon laughed. “You don’t know Samuel.”

“Not interested.” I cut him off. I flapped my wings faster.

“Your mother might think otherwise.”

I stopped in midair. “What did you just say?” I felt the beast starting to lose it.

“Samuel always gets what he wants, Blake. Fight and everyone wins. If not, I see hard times ahead for your mother and that fetching sister of yours.”

I growled.

The colony dove away from each other. Every single one of them took a different course.

So I followed the messenger. He was fast, really fast and I struggled to keep up.

I blew some thunder his way, but he dodged it.

My fury knew no bounds. How dare they? Samuel was going to learn the hard way that one should never, ever cross the Rubicon. I didn’t care how famous his father was. He would die a slow and gruesome death for just thinking about laying a finger on my mother and sister.

His mansion came into view. Almost all the lights were on. I tuned in immediately. His walls were soundproofed. I had no idea if my mom and sister were there or not. I had no choice but to land.

The minute my paws touch the path that led into the mansion, I shifted back. It wasn’t a willing shift; this was magic.

I ached all over as my wings were forced back into my human form. My tail felt as if it was being pulled in by machines.

I tried to leave. Hell, Mom and Sammy weren’t here. But I couldn’t leave. I grunted. My bones felt like they were going to shatter. I collapsed.

And then just like that, the pain was gone. I took huge breaths.

The door opened and I saw the hem of his white trousers and bare feet approaching me on the perfectly manicured lawn. He stopped right next to me, his big toe inches from my eyes.

“Do you always have to put up such a big fight, Ruby?” Samuel said in his thick Spanish accent.

My gaze lifted to him. I hated him.

I got up and prepared to rip off his head—when I froze solid.

I couldn’t move. It hurt like hell.

I found a filthy-looking thug staring at me. He had long, dark hair, pale blue eyes, and tattoos from head to toe.

His lips were moving so fast, I couldn’t make out the words he was saying, though his voice filled the air around me. It increased the pressure on my body.

Still I fought. Harder. Magic didn’t work on dragons, but here I was feeling every bit of it.

Samuel laughed. “Ruby, give it up. You can’t beat me. I need this, this fire, this passion. I need it in the ring. If you comply, I promise, your mother and sister will go home unharmed.”

“Where are they?” I grunted.

“You don’t believe me?” He touched my face. His hands felt like they might scorch the skin off my face. He nodded over his shoulder. Two water orbs appeared.

They wobbled in midair. Then they took form. One was my mother. The other, Samantha.

I knew what this was. This sort of magic was an ancient incantation. Only a formidable sorcerer could pull this off.

Where had Samuel found such a powerful sorcerer?

My eyes fell on the guy with dirty hair and tattoos. Is it him?

The magic—the ability to show my mom and sister like this—required the DNA of the hosts. Samuel had my family.

Where my father fit into all this, I had no idea.

“Fight, and I will let them go.”

I capitulated. “You have a deal. Now release them. Please.”

He laughed again. “Not so fast, Ruby. You see, I don’t trust you. We have that in common, you and I.”

I was nothing like him. But he had my family and I wasn’t going to egg him on. I was useless against this magic anyway.

“I’ll call for you soon. We’ll sign a contract, the kind dragons are compelled to obey.”

I didn’t like how he said that. A blood contract. He was going to revoke my free will.

“Now go.”

“Samuel!” I roared. “If you hurt them!” A strong gust of air blew me back. I struggled to control it. To gain my strength over whatever spell and magic I was up against. I had to find a way to save my mother and sister without selling my soul to the devil himself.

But it was no use. The magic was too strong.

When the wind stopped blowing, I found myself in my room. On my bed. I looked around. Lucian’s bed was still empty.

Was that a dream?

I got out of bed and without thinking jumped out my window. Dragon limbs replaced my human ones and in two flaps, I was in the air.

I needed to go home, to Mom. I needed to find her and Sammy safe in their beds. I flapped like I’d never flapped before and pushed forward harder.

The sun came up as I was en route.

Eventually the old house came into view. I tuned in. No sounds came from the house, not a peep.

I landed and transformed back as I raced up the steps in my human form, buck naked and not giving a damn. I flung open the door.

“Mom! Sammy!” I yelled. No answer came.

I yelled again.

“Blake.” Phil. I threw myself at him, ready to strangle him, but the minute I touched his neck, my hands disappeared into his flesh.

A hologram.

I grunted.

Phil laughed. “I warned you. Don’t f**k this up, Ruby. Your sister and mother are depending on you.”

“Where?”

“Be patient. I’ll send word with my sister.”

I growled as his hologram disappeared. I was going to kill my father if anything happened to them. That was my dragon oath.

The next morning, Monday, Tabitha showed up in my doorway. She still wasn’t happy that I’d never returned that weekend. Without a word, she finally dropped my bag of clothes from that weekend on the floor.

I was furious with her, with Phil. If I didn’t know her, Phil would’ve never met me.

“My brother wants you to call him.” She handed me her Cammy. “What does he want, Blake?” She sounded sincere.

“Don’t. The less you know, the better,” I mumbled. I couldn’t help thinking that she was just the unlucky egg that had been laid in their family.

She handed me her phone. “Be careful. I love him to bits, but he is really not good company to keep.”

I took her phone and grunted a thank you. Phil’s contact was easy to find. I dialed his number.

“Where?” I said as his hologram appeared. His expression changed real fast when he saw it was me.

“Nine. Tonight at the docks. Don’t be late, Blake. And don’t ever threaten Samuel like that again.”

I almost choked. Threaten him! He was the one who had captured my family and was holding them hostage.

The beast inside me acted weird. It should be angry that Samuel had taken his family, but it wasn’t. It loved the idea around me killing dragons.

I, on the other hand, was livid.

As crazy as that sounded. I truly felt sometimes like I carried two entities in my body.

I put the phone down. Phil’s hologram disappeared. I handed the Cammy back to Tabitha. She didn’t say a thing, just put the Cammy in her bag and left.

I felt bad that she was in the middle of all this. She wasn’t a bad dragon; I just didn’t care as much as she did.