Chapter Five
Antonio
The blazing fury in Antonio’s chest was too much to resist. He wanted to rip apart the beast that had pinned Audiv to the floor. He wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp, to burn him to a crisp. To utterly destroy him, so that he would never again be able to hurt anybody. So, when his hand reached out and Antonio saw that it was clawed, with red scales over his skin, all he could think of was good.
His wings snapped open on his back. The man let out a shriek of terror as Antonio snatched him off the ground and hurled him across the room. He collided with the wall and collapsed, unmoving.
It was only then that Antonio realized what he was doing. What form he had taken. He felt his long, lean body from scaled nose to the tip of his spiked tail. Muscles that didn’t exist in his human form stretched and burned. As every time he shifted involuntarily, there was a thrill and a fear with it. His shoulders rolled as he closed his eyes and attempted to draw himself back in, as Katrina had coached him.
The rage still pushing against his chest made it more difficult than usual, but he still managed to pull back, to get himself centered once more. His body shifted in form, back to human, and he fell to his knees as exhaustion rippled through him. He couldn’t even be embarrassed by the fact that his clothing had been shredded, and he now knelt on the floor utterly naked.
He expected for Audiv to come to his side, and when she didn’t, he looked up. His heart dropped out of his stomach as he saw her crumbled on the floor. Antonio scrambled to his feet and rushed to her, immediately checking for a pulse. Her heart beat strong and steady, and he saw an even rise and fall of her chest. A sigh of relief rushed from his chest. He checked her over quickly, finding no broken bones. She did have a head injury, though, so he gathered her into his arms and rushed for the healing rooms.
The healers’ eyes widened at the sight of them but didn’t comment as they took Audiv and began to check her over. Antonio’s heart pounded harder in his chest. He recalled feeling one wing brush something… he had thought it was the wall…
This is my fault.
One of the healers led him away, assuring him that Audiv would be alright. She gave him a robe to wear and left him alone in the waiting room. Antonio sat there, his brain whirling over the events of the day. It wasn’t much longer before Hendric, head of palace security, entered the room. His hair stood on end and by the smell on him, there was no doubt what had been interrupted.
“What happened?” the dragon asked, his expression grim.
“I went to the gym for my usual morning routine and—” Antonio leapt to his feet, letting out a few choice curse words. The man that had attacked her! “We have to get the gym. There was something else—he’s injured, too.”
Hendric nodded. They headed back to the gym together, and on the way, Antonio explained what he had witnessed. Rage flooded through him once more, making his blood boil and his fires flare so high he could taste them at the back of his throat. The strength of his own anger frightened him—it had been a long, long time since he had been this angry. He attempted to breathe deeply to calm himself but found that he didn’t really even want to—it was a good thing Hendric was with him, otherwise he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t kill the man once they returned to the gym.
But when they got there, it was empty. Only a streak of blood was left behind where the man had collapsed to the floor.
Hendric stiffened and snarled. His nostrils flared as he scented the room. “There was a lot of fear here. And magic. So much magic… but a new mage like that, he couldn’t have taken on the powers of someone like Audiv! Something…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Go back to the healing rooms. I will find the suspect.”
Antonio shook his head, his eyes flashing. “I don’t know his name, but I’ll be able to recognize him. Let me help look.”
“No.”
“I—”
“I am aware of your skills and background,” Hendric interrupted, raising a hand. “And I know that you would want to take part in this search. It is admirable of you. However, and I can’t stress this enough, involuntary shifts make you unstable. You could very well shift again with the slightest change of emotion. You need to get to the healers. Watch over Audiv. If it makes you feel better, we can say that you’re her protective detail. Got it?”
That did not make him feel any better, but the longer they stood here arguing the more likely it was that the man was going to escape. So Antonio nodded, his jaw clenched. Hendric moved off to alert the other guards, and Antonio made his way back to the healing rooms. Once he was there, he collapsed into a chair and watched the people bustle around, watching for the man again.
The more he sat there with nothing to do, though, the worse the twisting in his stomach got. He had been trying to protect Audiv. Instead, he hurt her. He needed to get his dragon under control. Needed, maybe, to put out these fires entirely.
***
Audiv was awake again in less than half an hour, and after being thoroughly checked out, it was decided that her injury wasn’t as bad as it first seemed. The healers attributed her going unconscious more to the stress of the situation and the fear she experienced than the head injury. She had a very mild concussion, nothing to worry about, but Antonio still insisted that he be allowed to take her back to her apartment in a wheelchair.
The new dragons and mages lived in bunkhouse-type apartments that had been built behind the palace, but Audiv lived within the palace itself. It was a decent sized place, with a combined living room and kitchen that also housed a small desk and several large bookshelves, and a bedroom that likewise was stuffed to the brim with books.
“Right, you’re supposed to get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids.” Antonio glanced at the bandage on Audiv’s head and shook his head. An apology was on his lips, but the death glare she had given him last time he said sorry was still fresh in his mind. “Do you want any Tylenol?”
“I think I’ll try to just close my eyes for a while,” Audiv replied. “It’s not bad right now. If it gets worse, I’ll let you know.”
Antonio nodded. He’d had plenty of concussions himself over the years, and plenty of friends and family that had also had them. He pushed the wheelchair to the door of the bedroom and helped her out of the chair. Audiv rolled her eyes at that but grinned at him all the same. That she was smiling eased his heart, although not his guilt.
“Are you sure you’re okay? We could go back to the healers and—”
“They said I was fine to leave. I wouldn’t want to take up their time when others need them more than I do.” Audiv leaned against him as he helped her to the bed. “Besides, with all your Earthly technology and stuff, it’s a lot better than it would have been in the old days. Magic only does so much. MRIs are awesome. I can actually sleep without being woken up constantly.”
Antonio lowered her onto the bed, then stepped back. She probably didn’t need more help than that… “I’m going to stick around, if that’s okay.”
Not just because of her injury. There had been no news about whether Michael Angstrom—Audiv had identified him after she woke—had been found yet. While there was a guard posted outside the door, Antonio didn’t want to take any chances. It was his fault she was hurt and wouldn’t be able to use her magic as effectively as she should.
Audiv glanced at her large wardrobe and Antonio caught a distinctive shiver run through her body. She bit her lip and glanced at him. There was embarrassment in her eyes, but the question was clear. He nodded and walked over to it. Inside was full of clothing and nothing else. He then checked under her bed and anywhere else a man could hide in the small room. He even looked out the window, in case Angstrom was clinging to the wall outside.
“All clear,” he said, bolting the window. “I will be out in the main room if you want me.”
Audiv nodded. “Please close the door.”
“Of course.”
He headed for the door, but Audiv clearing her throat turned him back around. Her cheeks were pink as she stared at him, still sitting on her bed. The tank she wore clung to her form, but he knew better than to even think about looking right now.
“Thank you,” she said awkwardly. “I don’t know what I would have done… He was… stronger than I expected.”
That rage started to bubble up in him, but Antonio didn’t allow any of it to show in his voice. Instead, he kept it low and even as he replied. “Of course. I’m glad that I was there.”
“Me too.”
She cleared her throat, glanced away, and then looked back at him. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears—it was clear that she was struggling with what had almost happened, and he couldn’t blame her. He just wished he knew better what to say. He wasn’t a counselor, though. Maybe there was a healer or therapist she could talk it over with. He wouldn’t blame her for being especially jumpy until Angstrom was caught, though—and even after. Nearly being raped wasn’t something someone just got over.
“I don’t have a computer or TV that you can use, but there’s a lot of books. You can borrow any one of them.”
Antonio nodded his thanks. “I’ll probably get my laptop sent over. I’m behind on the D&D campaign I started with my cousins, and they’re going to be waiting for an update.”
Audiv relaxed into her pillows, shifting slightly so she could pull one of the blankets over her legs. “You know, Anna still runs a live D&D game that the king participates in. Every Friday night in the library. She’s actually got it all split up so there are multiple games running for everyone who wants to join. I’ve thought about joining in… I’m always so busy, though.”
“It’s fun. Takes some getting used to, but it’s fun. You should try it.”
“Have you played with everybody here?”
Antonio had to shake his head at that. He only ever played online campaigns. There had been a few of the other new dragons who encouraged him to go to Queen Anna’s game night, but it always seemed so… strange. To play dungeons and dragons with other dragons. He and his cousins did it ironically. He wasn’t sure that the others did as much.
“Tell you what. When I’m feeling better, you and I will join in a game. Deal?”
“It’s a date.”
Audiv snorted as she laid down, exhaustion lining her face. “It’s not a date. A date is getting dressed up and doing fancy things together. So if you want to take me on a date, it better be a black tie affair.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He smiled, relieved at her returned humor. For a moment he stood there, but when she cracked open an eye and looked questioningly at him, he stepped out and closed the door behind himself. His heart wasn’t feeling quite as heavy now, as he went to sit on the couch. But he did feel quite tired himself.
Maybe he would take up her offer and read a book… it had been a long time since he had read for pleasure. It might help keep his mind off Angstrom and what could have happened. It might help him stop thinking about how he had hurt her. It might distract him from the fires burning in his gut.