This was so bad, and on so many levels. Falcyn turned around slowly as he tried to think of how to combat the SODs. But like Medea, he felt an overwhelming sense of doubt in his abilities to do anything at all, and the ultimate despair.
Never had he known such.
I am drakomai!
Yeah, so what? So are a lot of dragons.…
What makes you a special snowflake?
He had to drive this shit out of his head before he went mad from it. And from the depth of that madness, there was only one place he could think to go.
“Medea?”
She glanced up at him. “I hate this feeling, dragonfly. How do you fight it? I want something external that I can kill!”
So did he. This was so insidious. Like a madness eating away at his will and desires. He was so tired from it. As if a weight pressed down on not only his will, but his entire body.
He needed Blaise or Brandor to explain to him what the mortal enemy of these bastards would be so that they could use it against them and end this. “Everything has a weakness. We can find theirs.”
“How? We can’t even see them. It’s hopeless. Impossible. We’ll never win.”
In that moment, he hated his brother Max more than he ever had before. Why? Because the next words out of his mouth came straight from his brother and he knew it. He could practically hear Max’s voice over his own as he spoke the dreadful happy words that sickened him. “Nothing’s ever hopeless.”
Yeah, he wished he was back at Sanctuary so that he could beat the utter shit out of that ever-optimistic bastard.
How he hated Mr. Merry Sunshine.
As bad as Max had been before these past few weeks, he was twice as awful and sanctimonious now that he had his dragonswan and children with him. There were times when Falcyn was sure he’d puke from the saccharin overload of being around the lot of them. Only thing worse than Max was his kids and wife.
Especially that optimistic son Seraphina had dared to name after their brother Hadyn.
Dear gods, it was like someone had cloned Max.
He shuddered. And Hadyn would shit a brick to meet his happy Opie Taylor–acting namesake.
With a sneer, Falcyn tried to wipe the ick off physically with his hands, but it was no use. No matter how much he scratched at his skin or rubbed it, the sensation remained. “What drives away doubt?”
“Confidence,” Medea said. “A leap of faith. Sledgehammer to the face of whoever made you doubt yourself. Personally, I like the latter.”
He laughed at her surly tone and words that rang home to him, as he’d like nothing better.
Then he sobered. “That’s it!”
“What? I get to sledgehammer someone? I’m game if you are. Just point the bastard out.”
He quirked a grin at her sudden happiness and what had caused it. “As long as you’re naked, you can sledgehammer me all you want.”
She rolled her eyes at him and snorted. “Is that really your solution?”
“No, but now I have an image of you naked on top of me again and I completely forgot my original train of thought.”
“Seriously?”
“Sadly, yes. You’re terribly distracting to me. What was I saying?”
“Oh my God, Falcyn! Really?”
Screwing his face up, he groaned. “Yeah. Where was I going a minute ago? I seem to have lost my way in the deep valley of your shirt plunging between your breasts.”
She popped him lightly on his stomach. “We were talking about driving away doubt. Remember? I said confidence and leaps of faith.”
“Oh yeah … yeah! Had a thought about that. Leaps of Faith. You know?”
Medea scowled at him. He said that as if she should understand some arcane meaning behind that phrase. But it meant nothing to her. “Yeah? Okay…”
He deflated before her eyes, and shook his head. “I keep forgetting you’re an Apollite. With no real experience among the fey.”
“Sorry. We’re not on their party lists.”
“Trust me, you’re better off. Last time they came out to play with your people, they made the Were-Hunter race.”
She scoffed at his oversimplification of that major historical event. “Dagon wasn’t a fey creature. And I do believe, as a Sumerian god, he’d be highly offended at your categorizing him as such.”
“True. But as his brother, I’m morally obligated to bust his chops every chance I get. Which he’d appreciate if he were here and would return said insult with gusto. And probably a punch or god-bolt.”
Her jaw dropped at something she’d been completely unaware of. “You’re not really his brother, are you?”
“I am, indeed. Half, anyway. His mother’s Hekate. But we share the same piece-of-shit sperm donor.”
“Is that why he joined the Sumerian pantheon?”
“That was mostly a bad bout of teenage rebellion … or, more to the point, a bout of midlife crisis for a god.” Falcyn paused to consider it. “Or maybe, given his current extreme old age, it would best be considered a prepubescent tantrum?”
She laughed at the way he summarized things. The dragon had a unique phrasing and perspective. “You have an interesting family tree.”
“Says the woman related to Apollo and the king of the Daimons.”
“And you’re off point again.… I’ve noticed that you tend to do that. A lot.” She gestured at the trees around them. “Leaps of faith? Where were you going with that?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry. Faith is a modern word for fey. And ‘leaps of fey’ was once a slang term for fresh, running water gathered in a stream, as opposed to a well.”
“Okay…” She still had no idea where he was going with that.
“I’m thinking if we gather some, we can use it to get rid of them.”
Ah! That made sense. Running water was often used to chase away malevolent spirits. Hence the propensity of throwing holy water for exorcisms. And why some paranormal species couldn’t cross streams or rivers. “It’s worth a shot.”
“It’s what I’m thinking.”
“But what if we don’t find any?” She sighed heavily. “What if it doesn’t work? What if it’s hopeless and we’re stuck like this forever?”
He growled deep in his throat. “You’re doubting me?”
Medea gave him a no-duh stare. “I’m possessed by the spirits of doubt. You think? Of course I’m doubting you. And thanks for this wonderful experience, by the way! So much better than a trip to Disneyland. I can’t believe I left home for this.”
He let out a “heh” at her continued sarcasm. “Just help me find some fey water.”
“That doesn’t explode when we touch it.”
“Exactly.”
Sighing, she followed him as they looked for a stream or brook. “I guess I should be grateful, all things considered.”
“How so?” Falcyn asked.
She pointed up at the dim, gray sky. “At least I’m not bursting into flames in the daylight.”
He drew up short at her words. “Do that a lot, do you?”
“Well, I was banned from it as a girl. After Apollo made his curse.”
“But not anymore?”
“That demon blood you smelled in me?”
He nodded.
“It allows me to tap into their powers and shields me from his curse. With it, I can walk in daylight. Not for long. Just enough that it leaves me with a nasty sunburn and no exploding flesh. And I’m completely immune from his curse in other realms, like this one.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “The demon blood at least gives me time to do some damage in the human realm to go after enemies where and when they’re most vulnerable.”
“You like being a villain, don’t you?”
That was a no-brainer. “I played by the rules and what did it get me? A broken heart and murdered family. Busted body. Fuck that. So yeah. I learned to harden my heart and give as good as I get. With relish.”
He pulled her to a stop. “I know the feeling.”
“I’m so sorry that you do. I would never have taken your son from you. Especially not like your brother did. If you want, I’ll help you kick his ass.”
With a tender expression, he brushed his thumb against her cheek. “And I would never have allowed the humans to harm yours, or you.”
A tear fell from her eye as those sincere words singed her. “We will find your Maddor for you. You should meet him at least once in your life.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“That’s the SOD talking.”
“No. It’s common sense talking. I’m sure he hates me for what my brother did to him. Hates me for not finding him sooner.” He drew his brows together in deep consternation. “You’re right. That might be the SOD talking and not me.”
Rising up on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “You’re adorable when you blush. Uncertainty looks good on you.”
Falcyn savored the gentleness of her touch. “Why are you being so kind to me?”
“I have absolutely no idea. It’s really not like me. I’m usually a major bitch to everyone.” She smoothed down his collar. “But something about you makes me want to leash my claws.”
He fingered her ear. “Yeah. I feel the same with you. There’s a calmness inside me whenever you come near. And I don’t understand it. Even now. Most bring out the beast in me. But you … you seem to bring out only the best.”
Those words made her eyes water. Even stranger, they made her feel giddy like a girl again. Something she hadn’t felt in countless centuries.
More than that, he made her feel safe in a way no one ever had.
It was so peculiar. Not unwelcomed.
But strange nonetheless.
“What are you like in your dragon’s form?”
“I’m sure you don’t want to know. It tends to terrify the natives.”
“I’ll bet you’re beautiful.”
He laughed bitterly. “Bet you’d scream.”
“Bet I wouldn’t.”
“Never met a woman yet who wasn’t a dragon who didn’t scream at the first sight of me in my real body.”
She boldly stood before him, hands on hips, to face him. “You never met me.”
Growling low in his throat, he felt the dragon in him rise up. The beast was hungry and fierce. He expected nothing to come of it.
Yet this time, it worked.
In the blink of an eye, he changed into his shimmering red dragon’s body.
Medea stepped back. Not out of fear.
Out of respect. He was a massive, dangerous beast. Even larger than she’d ever expected. His red scales gleamed as if they held speckles of gold in their red color. Long, bright gold talons and curved tusks protruded, reminding her that he was a predator of the top order.
Indeed, his head alone was larger than her entire body.
Fearless. Breathless, she approached him until she could lay her hand on his large snout.
“You are beautiful,” she breathed, stroking his cheek, beneath his large serpentine red eye. She assumed his scales would be dry and cold to touch, but rather they were soft like rose petals, and yet as hard as warm steel. “Can you understand me?”
I understand you.
She laughed out loud. “You can still talk to me?”
I can.
“This is amazing! Can I ride you?”
His deep rumble washed over her. You already did that, Lady Apollite. I told you that I’m always at your disposal.
She shoved playfully at his snout. “Not what I mean and you know it!”
A saddle magically appeared on his back. Climb aboard.
Yet the moment she started for him, the shadows came closer. At first she thought nothing of it.
Neither did Falcyn.
Not until one snatched her back and they both realized it was a SOD. Wrapping around her, it forced her away from him and covered her body.
Furious, Falcyn changed back into his human’s body.
But it was too late.
The fey demon had her.