Chapter Twenty-Three
Ducking out of Niko’s wonderful embrace, she raced over to her best friend as Amy headed for her and they collided in the middle of the stall.
“Oh my God,” she gasped, tears taking over her eyes and voice.
“Bets!” Amy squeezed her tight.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know what I was doing! I didn’t mean to hurt you or—”
Amy slapped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t kiss you to shut you up, Erzabet. But shut up.”
“I’m so sorry!”
“She said clam it.” Keni laughed, and Betsy gave her a quick hug, too.
“You really came all this way to find me?”
“You left the clues,” Niko said, pulling her back to him. It felt really, really good to have him there again. As much as she had tried to stay positive, she had never managed to convince herself fully that he’d come and find her. But he was there.
“You scared me, Bets. You scared me bad. I really did think you’d chosen to go with Wyatt and steal the stuff from the store.”
“They were in the apartment when I got back,” she said. “The two of them. I had to play along. I didn’t want to, but I knew they wouldn’t keep me alive if I didn’t. I didn’t have a chance to leave you more than a note—we were racing to get out of there. The smash and grab was Wayne’s idea and I just went along.” A sob escaped. “I helped them steal so much in the past four weeks. Casinos, banks, jewelers. I’m never going to be able to pay restitution.”
Amy grabbed her arm. “Wayne is a murderer. We need state’s evidence. We need federal testimony, against both of them. We’ll do what we can. You won’t be in forever.”
“She won’t be in at all,” Niko said possessively.
“No, Niko, I’m a criminal. I have to do my time. I will cooperate fully and we’ll work out deals. But I did wrong. Big time wrong. And I have to pay for that.”
“But…”
“Niko, we’ll get her reduced sentences. She’s not violent. She was misguided.” Amy patted his arm. “And I might be able to set up a few nightly dream conferences for you.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Gasping, Betsy focused on Amy. “That was you? That was really you?”
“I’m a dreamwalker. So yes, that was really me. We have to get you some lucid dreaming lessons, quick.”
“I have a lot to learn.” Looking over at Keni, she sighed. “Do you have any plans to get us out of here? I know you have all kinds of magic. Maybe?”
Keni held out her arms with the shackles on them, and there were spots of blood soaking through the sleeves. “No magic. These are real iron. Magic and iron don’t mix. Until we can get them off, I’m useless.”
“And bleeding,” Amy said, her mouth curving in a frown. “I don’t have magic like Keni, either. I work in a different state of being. I can’t get the door open.”
“I can’t either,” Niko said. “I’m a dragon who can’t shift.”
“Wait,” Keni said. “You spat and burned the one guy. Do you think your Greek fire phlegm would work on iron?”
“You want me to spit on your shackle?” Niko was clearly grossed out.
Nodding, Amy agreed with Keni’s idea even though Betsy wasn’t sure what the idea was. “Well, you burned Wayne’s face off. If spitting on him burned him down to the bone, nothing says you can’t melt iron with your evil dinosaur spit.”
“The Greek fire phlegm was more witty,” Niko said.
“Wait, you spat on Wayne?” Betsy caught up all of a sudden. “But how did you burn him? It’s just spit.”
Scratching his chin, Niko swallowed. “It’s apparently not just spit. I’d been coughing smoke for a few days, before Pappoús explained that it was the first sign that the mating had started. My fires are starting to stoke, and without a mating, I’ll die. So I guess the deadly spit is the fuel for the fire that isn’t there yet.”
“I just kissed you, and I didn’t get burned.” Betsy was confused.
“Another question for Pappoús to answer.” Niko sighed. “I burned him bad, though. I guess if it was that bad, I could try the chains.”
Keni held her bleeding arms out with the shackles. “Get close. Get it right on the keyhole. If you can get me free, we can get out of here no problem. I have plenty of magic to do that.”
“Let’s give it a try.” Niko’s face puckered in disgust, and Betsy thought it was the cutest thing she had seen. But he pulled Keni’s hands in close and let fly. His aim was true and the spit landed in the keyhole, perfectly. They all watched for a few moments to see if anything was going to happen, but after an initial sizzle, there was nothing more. Still they waited a bit more.
“I think this is not going to work.” Amy sighed.
“Damn it,” Keni said.
“We just have to work on another plan,” Niko said. “I didn’t exactly relish the idea of spitting on you.”
“You weren’t spitting on me, Niko. Just on the iron.”
“Still. Ew.”
“Can we all please just work on getting out of here?” Betsy asked. “Wayne is unhinged and I’ve been sleeping out here for three nights. Wyatt has been bringing me one meal a day and I found a hole in the ground in the back corner to piss in. I’m done here. I want to leave.”
“Same,” Keni agreed.
“Well, the dragon spit isn’t going to work, so let’s all just sit down for now and think on this,” Amy said.
“I’m thirsty,” Keni said.
Holding up a finger in a ‘eureka’ style gesture, Betsy reached between the hay bales. “That I can help with. Wyatt was leaving me a six pack of water for the past three days. I was only drinking exactly what I needed.”
Pulling the hay bales apart, Betsy settled herself next to Niko. He was warm, and she’d been very cold for a while now. He felt good next to her, and not just for the heat. “I’m glad you don’t hate me, Niko.”
“Came close there, agapi̱té éna. Very close. But my grandma talked some sense into me. And I realized, if you really didn’t want me to get hurt, you did the best you could. Thank you for not trying to take the hoard.”
“I would never. They wouldn’t know what to do with that stuff. They’d probably try to swallow some of the pearls and diamonds to shit out later.”
“Could hope they choked on them.”
Giggling, Betsy stared up into his gentle blue eyes. “That would have solved everything. Except what to do with the bodies.”
“You’re a devious woman, Bets. I kinda like it.”
“Yeah, well, I kinda like you, so…” Pausing, she realized he wasn’t just warm. He was running hot. “Are you heating up on purpose?”
He hesitated. “No, I’m dying.”
“Dying?”
“It’s a mating thing, apparently. Once the mating... cues? Hormones? Kick in, I have to mate, or I’ll die. The fires were started, but they are only smoldering and until they are full flame, the heat will consume me and kill me.”
“Holy shit, Niko. I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”
He stopped her with another thorough kiss. “Neither did I, so don’t apologize. Please.”
Betsy took his hand and twirled her fingers around his, dancing on his heated skin. “I didn’t want to take the diamond. I wanted to wait for you to give it to me.” Her eyes found his again. “I want this, Niko. I want whatever we are. I spent these last weeks just hanging onto hope that you still wanted me and you’d come after me.”
His lips brushed her forehead. “I do still want you, Betsy. We’ll have to find the diamond.”
“Well, if you feel like giving my boobs a little attention, I think you’ll find we won’t have to go looking too hard.”
“You have it?”
“I’d managed to convince the two of them I was the best person to keep it. And then when Wayne got unstable I started hiding it on me in different places. Currently, it’s in my bra.”
“You are magnificently brilliant, Erzabet.”
“When we get out of here, I’ll tell you how really brilliant I am. I am a class A thief, and I need help trying to apply that to things that don’t involve robbery and misdemeanor felonies.”
Amy laughed. “You need to be a detective! Or a forensic psychologist. Something where you can apply that ‘out of the box’ thinking to stop people like you.”
Taking a quick glance at her friend, Betsy quirked a grin at her. “I’ve always been devious. You know that.”
“That’s why I was so confused at the veterinarian.”
“I was trying to steer away from my deviousness.”
“We need to find you a way to use and keep you out of trouble.”
“Can you use it to get us out of here?” Keni asked, looking around.
“I’ve been trying to think of a way, of anything that might get me unlocked or moved. But really, there’s been nothing. Wayne is cruel. He doesn’t give anyone a chance to get near me and I’ve realized that Wyatt is afraid of him. Well, afraid of his temper. There’s been all sorts of ideas running through my head, but honestly, it all comes down to the fact that I can’t escape without the key.” She pulled her leg so the chain jingled.
Niko followed the chain over to the corner where it was fastened. He gave it a pull, then a harder one, then Betsy saw him kick into supernatural strength and it still didn’t move at all. “How far down did this go?”
“The estate information said the place was closed for exceptional cruelty to the horses, so I suspect that goes down in about five to seven feet of concrete.” Amy shrugged.
“Fab,” Niko said and dropped the chain.
They watched as three new goons walked into the barn. The stall gates were high enough that they couldn’t see over them and the three men passed to the back of the barn. Niko, Betsy, Keni, and Amy all glanced at one another, and Amy walked over to the stall door, attempting to see what they were doing.
It only took a moment for the smell of gasoline to hit them.
“What are you doing?” Keni screamed, charging over.
The three men didn’t pay attention. They just kept pouring the gasoline at the back of the barn, dousing the walls, hay, and tumbleweeds that had collected at the more collapsed end of the building.
The three of them eventually finished, and two headed out. The last one sauntered over to the paddock and leaned against the door.
“You all need to stay where you are. Try anything and those two are going to be back with the matches in two minutes.” He stood and stared until the two men came back, and one was holding a box of matches. As soon as the other two entered the barn, he unlocked the paddock and walked in. Gathering Amy’s, Keni’s, and Niko’s chains, he hauled them all back to the eye bolt that Betsy was attached to. He locked the rest of them to it, threading each chain through and securing them. Once he was done, he walked back to the stall door and relocked the whole thing.
“What are you doing? What’s going on?” Amy demanded.
The lackey stared hard at Niko. “You burned Wayne’s face off. Wyatt took him to the hospital. Thank God for fake IDs. But his face is messed up bad and he’s pissed. That gas is gonna sit there and soak in for a while. Wayne wants to light the match himself. So you can all sit and smell your death until he comes back, and then you can all fucking burn and die.”
The lackey sauntered out.
All four of them stared at each other.
“We have to get out of here.” Keni pulled on the chain. “Any and all suggestions are welcome. I’m even thinking a ‘127 Hours’ would be feasible at this point.”
* * *
There was no doubt in Niko’s mind that Betsy was there to stay. She was genuinely happy to see him, and a little shocked they’d made it. But he loved her, and he needed and wanted her in his life.
It wasn’t, though, the perfect reunion.
He didn’t know how they were going to get out of the barn. The smell of gasoline was dizzying, even for him and his magical lungs. It was only going to be time before the others were overcome by the fumes.
There had to be something they could do to get out. He walked toward the back wall of the barn, and the chain pulled him up short. He walked to the back of the stall, and there was another stall, mostly collapsed, behind them. The other stall to the back of the barn was the one they had originally been shoved in, and that was worthless as an escape route too. They all poked and prodded at things around them, Keni choosing to sit at the locks and see if she could do any magic to wiggle them open.
There seemed no way out of the paddock. Even if they could get a wall down or ripped open, they were still chained. They’d already tried the obvious—all four of them pulling as hard as they could on the eyebolt. It wouldn’t budge.
After nearly an hour and a half of relentlessly tossing out any stupid idea that came into their heads, Keni was back in front of the locks, and Amy and Betsy were on the hay bales.
“The only hole is in the back corner,” Betsy said. “I’ve been peeing in that. It seems to be a pipe, not an actual hole in the cement. And it’s only about four inches in diameter. We can’t do anything with it.”
“Except pee in it,” Keni said. “I was hoping the dragon spit would work. That’s all I got. Until these irons are off, I’m completely non-magical and injured.”
“Is there anything we can do for your arms?” Betsy walked over to look at the wounds. “Magical or non?”
“It’s like a massive allergic reaction. I need to get them off. The shirt is soaked and it’s all blood. I just need to get them off.”
Amy pulled her boots off and slipped her socks off. “If you don’t mind a little feet stink, I think we can at least keep the metal off your arms. It’s very clear that your sleeves aren’t up to the task.”
“Feet? I’d put up with ball sweat if we can keep the metal from hitting my skin.”
Amy and Keni worked the socks into position to keep the metal from hitting her skin again. It seemed to provide enough relief.
He sat on the hay bale next to Betsy, and sighed. “I’m out of ideas. I don’t know what we can do to get out of here. That chain has to come off or the eyehook has to come out of the ground. We’re all effed if we can’t get that out.”
“That’s the idea.”
They turned and found Wayne standing there with half his face patched up.
“That’s exactly the idea. I’m done fighting for that fucking stone. I’m done waiting for you to give it up. Here’s some science for you. Human bodies burn, and diamonds don’t. Your fucktoy burned my face, so bad they are saying it’s going to be necessary to do a skin graft and plastic surgery. So we’re done here.”
He held his hand out and the guy standing next to him handed him a match.
“Wayne, you don’t have to do this.” Wyatt was standing in the barn door. “You don’t have to.”
“You are a fucking pussy, Wy! I’m sick and tired of you making excuses to keep her alive. There are other cunts to fuck.”
Wayne grabbed a handful of hay on the floor and lit it with the match. He walked to the back of the barn and threw it at the gas-soaked hay. It caught instantly and he walked back as the flames grew in leaps and bounds.
“Enjoy dying. Whichever way death takes you.”
He caught Wyatt under the arm and dragged him away from the now burning barn.
The four of them backed as far away from the heat of the flames as the chains would allow. The fire was roaring already, and Niko didn’t like that he, a dragon, was backing away from fire. He should be fire proof. His dragon should be willing to help him. But instead it hid in the water. All the time.
“So, this is how I die,” Keni said.
“There has to be something else!”
Betsy looked at Niko, and he saw the fear in her eyes. “Nikomedes. If you were mated, would your dragon be able to help us with this?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, the honestly and unknown killing him a little bit.
“We’re going to die. What’s involved in mating?”
“We have to exchange blood, like bite and exchange.”
“That’s it?”
“It’s... intimate. It’s supposed to be done in private. Naked.”
“We’re about to die.”
“We have no water. There must be the element present. Somehow, the element has to be there.”
Keni thrust out a bottle of water. “I’ll baptize you with this.”
Niko watched Betsy and saw the fear in her eyes. Not of him, not of mating. Of dying. Of being the next victim of a soulless man who didn’t care who he killed or how.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” No hesitation at all in her voice. “It was going to happen anyway. Even if it fails, we’ll be mated. At least I can die in your arms.”
Niko exhaled hard, the words singing through him. “I love you so fucking much.”
“Same here, sexy. I love you.”
Grabbing the bottle of water from Keni he motioned her away. “We’ll do this. Turn around. Don’t look. This is supposed to be private.”
“The barn is on fire!”
“Turn. Around.”
Keni wanted to argue, but she made the choice in a split second to turn around and stand next to Amy, facing the other way.
“What do I do?” Betsy asked.
“We’re going to do this a little different. I want you to kiss me, hard. And you’ll know when to pour the water over us.”
She didn’t hesitate. That didn’t help his sudden raging hard-on. Her mouth found his and her lips were parted immediately, seeking his mouth. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her close and hoped to gods and goddesses this wasn’t their last kiss. He nipped his own tongue, slicing it open unkindly. When her tongue found his he quickly bit her as well. The taste of blood filled their mouths, and he found that it... wasn’t unpleasant. She tasted of chocolate and salt.
Mingling the very essence of their lives, Niko swallowed her blood along with his own. He felt her swallow as well, and they kept kissing. Kept mingling their blood. It was a delicious feeling.
With the second swallow, his dragon burst into his mind. Not as a separate thing as it always had been, but as a part of him. In perfect time, Betsy poured the water over them, dousing their heads completely.
And in that next instant, there was a bend and snap of the world around them, a swirling of heart and mind that blended the two of them together, bonding their souls. On the third swallow, the fires that had been smoldering inside him burst to life, igniting his complete control of the dragon and breaking the barriers that had held him back from flying, from fire, from his supernatural powers as a ketea.
He took a fourth swallow, but only because he wanted to taste her one more time.
Niko.
She was there. With him.
Betsy.
I can see why this should be done in private. I want to fuck you so bad right now.
Let’s get out of here.
He licked at her tongue where he had sliced her open and the wound healed immediately. His own sealed right after.
You got this? He could sense her smirk.
Oh, I got this.
He broke the kiss. And for the first time ever, he shifted at will outside of Darkwater.