With that fabulously threatening last line I used my gift—the one I should have kept secret from all Dragons. Although when life or death was on the line, secrets meant absolutely nothing.
I waved my hands and in a fiery blast of shimmering golden smoke and fire, I disappeared. I knew they’d come after me, but they’d have to put out the massive explosive fire I’d created first. I had about an hour head start. I’d worked with less and succeeded.
I could work with this.
I had no choice.
I didn’t need these Dragons to destroy my father. I’d been on my own for years. Keeping it that way was going to be the wisest move I could make.
My father was mine alone and I would succeed.
I had to.
Chapter 6
“Where’s Daniel,” I shouted frantically. “I have to get him out of here. Now.”
In a blast of fiery smoke, I arrived back at Essie’s house in a panic. Essie, Hank, Dwayne and Granny flew into the living room coughing due to the thick smoke my arrival created. With wide eyes and shocked expressions they stared at me as if I was an alien.
“Sweet Baby Jane without mascara, did you just poof here from Chicago?” Dwayne asked as he swiped at the air to tamp down the glittery golden smoke.
“Yes,” I said tersely. “Seth’s a liar. They want to kill me and I don’t have much time to get Daniel out of here and find a safe place to hide.”
“Come with me. I’ll take you to the Cows. I really do have homes all over the world,” Dwayne said. His eyes began to glow and he levitated toward the ceiling.
“I’ll get Daniel ready,” Granny said, hustling out of the room on a mission.
Thankfully they’d all decided to stay at Essie and Hank’s since I was going to meet Seth in Chicago. A one-stop shop was a very good thing right now.
“I want you to take Daniel away. They’ll be coming after me first. It’ll be safer for him if he’s not with me,” I ground out as I paced off the effects of transporting. I was dizzy and slightly nauseous. I’d only transported once in my life, at my mother’s insistence and that was several hundred years ago.
“Are you all right?” Essie asked as she stomped out a few small fires on her living room floor.
“No. And I’m so sorry I’ve destroyed your house.”
“No worries, I didn’t like the carpet anyway,” she replied as she led me to a chair and squatted in front of me. “Tell us what’s going on.”
Hank was right behind her. His fangs had dropped and he was dialing his cell. I assumed he was alerting Junior of the potential shitshow that was impending.
“Junior, it’s Hank. Dima’s back from Chicago. They tried to kill her. I’m putting you on speaker. Guessing we have some Dragons on the way to Hung.”
“Well, sumbitch,” Junior shouted. “I’ll get re-enforcements and pull out the vat of solution. Any chance we could get the Cows down here?”
“No time,” I said tersely. “I figure we have about an hour. I blew up the warehouse and they’ll have to deal with that first. All of you will just be back up. Do you understand me?”
“Well, I can hear you, but I’m definitely not on the same page,” Hank replied, snapping his fangs and clenching his fists. “We fight with you and that’s an order. Period.”
“Hank,” I said evenly as I stood and tested my balance. “That’s not the way it’s going to go down. I want Daniel gone and then I’ll meet the bastards on the beach. I plan to shift and fly like Satan himself is on my heels. I’ll lead them away from Hung. You people are the best thing that’s happened to me in hundreds of years. There is no way in hell I plan to watch you burn.”
Hank’s growl was low, but his displeasure was obvious.
“Should we fly Daniel to the Cows?” Granny asked as she ran back into the room with a sleepy and confused Daniel in her arms. As Vampyres, both Granny and Dwayne could fly.
My heart was in my throat as I stared at the beautiful child I’d created with a man I barely knew. Daniel was the reason I would fight to the death.
“No. I want you to drive. We can’t take a chance that you’d come across the Dragons in the air,” I said as I took my son in my arms and held him tight.
“What’s wong, Mommy?” he asked, touching my face and snuggling close.
“Daniel, there are some bad Dragons that want to hurt us,” I told him. Sadly my four year old needed the ugly truth. “Dwayne and Granny are going to take you far away from here and Mommy is going to make the bad guys leave us alone.”
“Are you going to die, Mommy?” Daniel asked with a serious expression that didn’t belong on the face of a child.
“I don’t know,” I said haltingly. “I promise with all I am that I’ll do everything I can to come back to you, but you must always remember how much I love you. You mean more to me than anything in the world.”
“Me can fight with you, Mommy. I will save you,” he said as fat tears rolled down his chubby pink cheeks.
Words failed me as I held clung to my baby and memorized every part of him.
“Your Mommy is going to kick some major bastard Dragon ass and then we’re going to party at my chateau in Paris,” Dwayne said, gently taking Daniel from my shaking arms. “Give her a kiss for luck and we’re going take you to meet some very wonderful—albeit somewhat odiferous Cows.”