Chapter 11
The dragon roared again, a great, bellowing sound that filled the air and flooded the place with majesty and splendor. The man who was below the dragon screamed and pushed himself up. The gun lay forgotten as he frantically scrambled to his feet. He grabbed at the ground and Janet could see the terror in his eyes, filling him up and causing him to lash out blindly. He stumbled and fell over himself trying to get away.
For a moment, the dragon didn’t move. Then he took a step forward and it was enough to send the man screaming again. He jumped up and ran with the same fevered terror that had gripped Janet only moments before. He ran like a man who was running for his life, fleeing for his safety, desperate to escape.
Janet felt a pang inside her. It served him right, served him right for threatening to kill her. Yet she didn’t wish him dead and she stumbled to her own feet. She didn’t want him killed and she didn’t want to die either. She wanted to bring her father’s company up, not drag it down. She wanted to help it prosper, not threaten people, or herself. She wanted what was right. She knew that now, with a sort of powerful certainty.
She wanted what was right, “Stop!” The dragon had been rearing back, poised to strike, as if it was about to kill the man where he stood, strike him down by some means, be it his weight, his claws or his fangs. At Janet’s cry, he stopped and his eyes turned slowly on her.
Janet felt a fresh wave of terror tearing at her heart and her mind. Had she made the wrong choice? Was he really just going to kill her too? Had she just put herself in more danger by calling out? She didn’t know. She was lost in a strange situation, in a strange country, all alone.
The dragon had saved her, but there was no guarantee that he would spare her a second time. She shuddered as he approached. He didn’t seem to be after her like he was after the other man, with a deep desire to hurt and kill. He moved slowly and Janet swore, just for a second, that the flashing blue of his eyes seemed so startlingly, achingly familiar. She could have sworn that she had seen those eyes somewhere.
Those eyes would never let her get hurt. Those eyes had saved her before. The recollection stuck her with startling clarity and she stumbled back. She was losing her mind. She was going insane. This dragon reminded her of Fang. A dragon!
She almost laughed. She was going crazy, cracking under the deep and persistent stress that was beating on her mind, body and spirit. She was going crazy. Janet almost laughed, but the situation was terrifying, not funny, and not funny in the slightest.
The dragon moved and for a second, Janet thought that he would roar again, but he didn’t. Instead, he shifted, kneeling down and lowering his great and powerful height. Suddenly, this towering creature wasn’t standing so far above her, so overwhelmingly, threateningly tall.
There was a low rumble in his chest, almost like a purr and Janet was filled with a bright, unexpected surge of warmth in her own chest, fluttering through her and leaving her breathless. It was perfect. In this strange moment, in the middle of nowhere, with a dragon, she felt safe. So safe.
The dragon snarled, a low sound. It was comforting in a strange way, and Janet bit her lip. She could feel the breath ghosting her skin, brushing against her and filling up her senses. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the flood of movement through her.
She breathed in the feeling, the odd sensation of both fear and peace tingling through her. There was a whoosh, the sound of air rushing around and through her. For a moment, she just kept her eyes shut, accepting of whatever came next.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and her eyes flew open in shock. Her eyes struggled to take in the shock of what she was seeing. She couldn’t believe it.
It was Fang. The huge, towering dragon was gone, nowhere to be found, not even a whisper of movement or a shadow in the distance. Instead, Janet was face to face with Fang, looking calm and concerned, like it was no big deal that he had shown up out of nowhere.
His hand was on her shoulder and he was grabbing her gently, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” There was real worry in his voice, real concern seeping into his tone. For a moment, Janet found herself unable to answer, unsure what she was seeing, unsure what to say. Fang was here.
The shock shuddered through her system. Fang was here and the dragon was gone. Had she imagined the whole thing? Was she losing her mind completely? Janet felt her knees go shaky and she almost fell to the ground. In an instant, Fang’s arm was wrapping around her. He pulled her close to him and she almost fell against him.
She took in a great, deep breath and took a moment to try and make sense of it all, make sense of everything that was happening to her, flooding her senses. She bit her lip and heard Fang’s voice in her ear.
“Shh, it’s okay.”
He was warm and comforting and Janet nodded. He led her towards one of the sparse trees that was dotted along the landscape and helped her sit down. She sank gratefully to the ground, curling her legs beneath her. She took a deep breath, feeling the shakiness flood her system again.
Everything had been so normal up until this point, so comfortable, almost okay, even with the terror of the previous meeting. But this, this was something else and it had left Janet feeling very shaky and unsure of herself.
Fang’s voice was soothing and soft in her ear, his hands stabilizing her as he murmured, “Just take a moment.”
Janet followed his advice, taking a moment to just breathe, just let everything sink in and settle in her chest. It was a lot to handle, a lot to take in, but it was important that she calmed down enough to talk it through with Fang.
The sun was beating down fiercely on them, but the shade of the tree provided some respite. Eventually, Janet looked up at Fang, confusion written across her features, “What just happened? How did you find me?”
Fang took a deep breath, seemingly weighing his own options, his own thoughts on the matter, “Well, I knew that you had called a taxi, obviously….” He trailed off and Janet thought about the exchange that had happened in the hotel room. It felt like a lifetime ago, and still tasted sour. Still, she was removed from that now, in a way. Fang was here, when she needed him most and her life had almost ended, yet again.
“I followed you.” He admitted. The confession was stilted, almost as if he didn’t want to say it, “I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
Janet nodded, “How? I didn’t see any other cars…”
There was another long, lingering moment of silence, “On foot.”
Janet couldn’t fathom how that was even possible, “On foot? But that wouldn’t have worked…” She trailed off as well.
Fang sighed and rubbed his face, “Come on, Janet. You saw the….”
“The dragon?” The words spilled from her before she had a chance to take them back. She regretted them at once- not wanting Fang to think that she had completely lost her mind. She sighed, a shaky sound and shook her head, waiting for his response.
Fang winced, “Yes.”
For a moment, Janet was convinced that she had heard that wrong, “You…you saw it too?”
Fang seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable. He shifted, wiping his hands on his pants and leaning back against the tree. Janet almost expected him to jump up, despite that. He seemed so jumpy and unsure of what to say. Janet had never seen him like this. He was usually so confident, comfortable and sure of himself. To see him like this, concerned and unsure was a very strange thing to behold and it was making Janet uncomfortable.
“No, I didn’t see it…It’s complicated.” He winced and Janet had a growing sense of disbelief. He had been there almost right after she had seen the dragon. She had only closed her eyes for a moment. He had been there, and followed her, found her. How had he done it?
The realization was growing, steady and strong and Janet was finding it harder and harder to believe. There was no way. The thought was absolutely insane, absolutely unheard of. She had to be dreaming this all up. And yet, yet…it seemed to be the only answer that made any sort of sense.
She stared at Fang, her words deserting her in a rush. How did you confront someone like this? How did you assert such a crazy claim, such a crazy idea? Fang winced and she saw something flicker in his eyes. Those eyes, so blue and inhuman.
“It sounds insane, Janet. You must realize that.”
Janet swallowed, “So you…you were the…?”
“The dragon, yes.” His words were curt and defiant and sudden. It must have been impossible hard for him to say, but Janet couldn’t focus on that, not just yet. She felt the awe catch in her throat, move down her body and leave her shaky all over again.
She was suddenly, very, very glad that she was sitting down. She shuddered, feeling the rolling waves of disbelief wash over her. No, not disbelief. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was telling her the truth. Janet was having more problems handling the nature of that truth. How could it be possible?
Fang had gone white and Janet realized, with a pang, that he looked far more worried than she had ever seen him before. He was calm in the face of attackers, calm in the face of their breakup, and calm in the face of impossible odds. And yet this, telling her the truth and judging her reaction, was enough to leave him openly concerned.
He was worried about what she thought. He was worried about how she was going to take this and how she was going to relax. He cared. He still cared about her. The realization sent a violent jolt through her body and she felt tears well up in her eyes.
He hastened to speak, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. You wouldn’t have believed me, and I didn’t want to put you in any further danger-”
Janet didn’t give him time to say more. She flung her arms around him, pressing herself flush to his body, “You idiot!” The words were out before she could stop them. She pressed her head against his neck, breathed in the smoky, sweet smell that seemed to permeate every inch of his body. She almost laughed. Now she knew why he always smelt like smoke and fresh air, all at the same time.
It was crazy. This was crazy! None of this made any sort of sense, but Janet didn’t know what to do about it. It was what it was. It was the truth that she had seen with her own two eyes. It was incredible in so many ways and it was terrifying in so many others.
Fang made a sound of surprise, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her gently, tightly, against himself.
“You should have told me.” She murmured against his skin, “You idiot, Fang.”
He laughed and the sound was lighter than she could have imagined, full of relief as he nodded, “Yes, I should have.”
For a long moment, they stayed like that, Janet in Fang’s arms, him holding her tight as she settled herself and got comfortable again, with the huge shift in her world. After a long moment, Janet pulled back and looked up at him.
“I want details.” She managed a small smile and Fang nodded, “Yeah, but now might not be the time.” His voice was soft and comforting and Janet realized, with a jolt, that it was probably best to get back into town, get somewhere safe.
That said, she felt safe as long as she was with Fang, feeling his strong arms around her. No one would hurt her while he was around. She knew that without a shadow of a doubt. She had known that he was strong and capable, but she had had no idea just how powerful he really was. She felt warmth flicker in her chest.
He was here, by her side, “You’ll stay?” She murmured, her voice soft and almost unsure.
“I’ll stay.” His voice sounded thick with relief and happiness rose up in her chest, sending soft shivers of excitement through her. She was safe and Fang wasn’t going anywhere. What more could she ask for? What more could she hope for? This was perfect, and then some. She was so lucky to have him, so lucky to be alive.
Janet knew that she was so lucky to have survived two attacks and both times, she knew who she had to thank for it. She pushed herself up and Fang quickly helped her to her feet, “We’ll talk later, though.” She looked at him with a sternness in her gaze and he smirked, “Yes, Boss.”
Janet laughed and, suddenly, the sound felt really sincere, bubbling up in her chest. Not forced, not put on or pushed out. No, just true happiness despite all of the terror and confusion. She wasn’t out of the woods yet. She still had meetings, still had issues to deal with, deals to seal and people who were trying to kill her. It wasn’t smooth sailing, at least, not yet!
But Janet had faith, had confidence that everything was going to be okay. She was going to have him by her side and, together, they would take on the world. Janet had a job to finish and this time, she knew that she could count on Fang.
Her mind was still reeling with information, but she wasn’t afraid. She could work through it, and deal with the strangeness of the world and of their relationship. Everything was going to be okay and they could take it all on- together. Janet had never felt surer of anything in her life.
She took his hand, and got to her feet. They made their way to the car like that, hand in hand.
They could do this and she couldn’t be prouder to be trying, with Fang at her side.