11.

 

Mia sighed, glad to finally be out of the police station. She had always hated having to deal with the types of paperwork and questioning involved with filing reports like this, and usually tried her best not to complain about those types of things. But when it was her daughter’s safety on the line, everything changed. She would gladly do anything it took to protect Jewel. Even if that meant changing schools so the creepy man she had seen wouldn’t have even the slightest chance of finding her again.

“There she is.”

Mia frowned. Had she just heard something? Whatever it was made her instantly nervous. She looked around the parking lot, but there was nobody in sight.

She continued on to her car, her heart pounding hard in her chest. What the hell was going on? Why did it seem she always attracted such strange and discomforting situations to herself?

She reached her vehicle and got inside, shutting and locking the doors quickly. Her eyes scanned the parking lot once again for any sign of whoever had spoken. It had been jarring and she had to admit that she was more than a little afraid.

Luckily, she was safe now in her car. As she pulled away, her mind focused once more on her daughter and the bizarre incident from the afternoon when she had been picking her daughter up from school. Was this related somehow? Or was she just being paranoid for thinking so? Either way, there was definitely something strange going on and she wasn’t feeling very confident about her safety.

She would have been less confident had she known the source of the voice. As Mia drove away, she was oblivious to the pair of golden eyes watching her every movement as she attempted to make her way safely home.

“Yes, that was definitely her,” the humanoid creature said, slinking further into the bushes lining the parking lot. He turned his gaze onto the man beside him. “You saw her, right?”

The man was much smaller and appeared to be completely human. He looked up at the creature, who was taller, and more snake-like in appearance.

“You want me to bring her to the ceremony, Blaithe?”

 Blaithe grinned, stretching his body upright. He was long, his body a light green color and textured with the mild imprint of scales. He was a sight to behold, and, fortunately, there were no humans around for miles who were able to see him. They would have been terrified. 

“And her daughter too if you can get her. But, mostly, I just want her. Do you understand? She must be abducted on the new moon. That is the way the ceremonial magic works.”

“What good are these humans to us anyway?” the smaller man said, casting his eyes to Blaithe incredulously. “What’s so special about them?”

Blaithe grinned and kept his eyes in the direction that Mia had disappeared off to. “They aren’t just ordinary humans, Yena. These are descendants. They carry hybrid blood in their veins. If that blood mingles with the blood of a sun dragon, those born of such a union have the ability to tear apart everything we have been working for.”

Yena blinked. “How is that possible?”

Blaithe snarled, clearly perturbed. “Magic.”

Yena considered this quietly for a few moments and then looked back to his leader. “We can’t let that happen. The only pleasure is in the void. Those who continue to fill it will always prevent the one true power from reigning.”

Blaithe nodded seriously. “We must prevent them from getting too close. We have to take out the women of Loni and Sun Dragon descent before they create any more of those with the power to destroy all progress. So, bring me that woman and, if possible, her child. It is paramount to bring at least the mother, however. She has already bred and is of breeding age. We still have time to take care of the little one. She will not be breedable for quite some time, and it would be very easy to take her out should the time come.”

“Understood.”

Mia, however, had no idea that any of this was going on. She had always assumed that she was a typical woman, with typical human blood. And although there were rumors of shifters out west, most people had taken to assuming that it was an isolated incident. Or mass hysteria. It was a peculiarity that she hadn’t ever considered to be something that might affect her, although she had always been fascinated with the prospect of real life shapeshifters existing in the modern world. She wasn’t sure whether she believed it or not, as much of the world had chosen to say that it was nothing of consequence and everybody should just continue their lives as if nothing was different. Mia had always had an eye for the peculiar, however. And shapeshifters were certainly peculiar.

She thought about heading back immediately to her mother’s house to pick up her daughter, but the events of the day had left her feeling anxious and shaken up. Instead, she decided that a stroll through the park might do her some good. If nothing else, it would calm her nerves and she would be able to approach the situation with a level head. Lord knew she could use one.

Mia parked quickly at the entrance to the park and got out, stretching and taking a deep breath. It was difficult to imagine coming out here at night like many people did, getting a moonlit jog in before bedtime. Mia always felt nervous in the woods at night for some reason.

But it was day time and she found herself feeling more motivated to run her problems away than ever before. She wanted nothing more than to get rid of the extra charge that had been following her around, so she could return to her daughter feeling balanced and positive rather than agitated and afraid.

She rummaged through the trunk of her car for a pair of running shoes and put them on, heading immediately down a cool, wooded trail that smelled of pine. She let the soothing sounds and sights of nature wash over her so that she might finally let go of the tenseness that was plaguing her.

Her relief was short-lived, however. When Mia rounded the corner, she was stopped abruptly by the sight of the creepy man from the speed dating event. She recognized him immediately and let out a small cry of fear and surprise. “What?”

“Fancy meeting you here,” the man said, stepping forward with his reptilian looking eyes glittering.

A chill surged through Mia and she looked around frantically for any sign of another person that could help her. But there was nobody in sight.

“Don’t come any closer,” Mia managed to say, taking a step back. She was trying to calm herself; it wouldn’t do her any good to start panicking. She would need to approach everything with a clear head if she wanted to survive this. Or maybe it wasn’t even that big a deal. Maybe there was nothing she needed to survive at all. He might easily be just a guy who couldn’t take no for an answer. Or a chance encounter with someone who recognized her. That happened, right?

Regardless of the possibilities, she glanced around furtively for something to protect herself with and spotted a rather large branch on the ground. It seemed unwieldy, but it might have to do if nothing else was available.

“So, are you ready for a date yet? I don’t know why we weren’t matched together before this.”

The man didn’t move, just stared at Mia with his cold eyes glittering at her ominously. She felt another chill roll up her spine and she took another step backward. “I don’t want any trouble,” she said, her voice strained and high-pitched. She hated the way she sounded. The way her fear was obvious. Anyone would know that she was terrified. That she was vulnerable and felt she did not have an upper hand in the situation she was in. He would know that she was weak and take full advantage of the fact.

Mia cast another glance around at her surroundings, hoping she might be able to find something she could use to defend herself. She was not going to go down without a fight, even if it wasn’t a very strong one.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Trouble?”

Now the man started stepping toward her and Mia’s stomach knotted. She stared at him as he walked slowly, holding her gaze evenly with the slightest hint of a smirk upon his lips. She did not like where this was heading. Why hadn’t she just gone home?

“Get the hell away from me before something happens that you aren’t going to like,” Mia said, surprising them both with the threat. What exactly was she trying to do? It would become clear soon enough that she was not able to put up any sort of fight whatsoever. Maybe, if nothing else, the threat would buy her some more time…

The man sneered and took another step forward. Time stood still as he reached his hand forward and Mia’s heart jolted as he made a move to grab her. She squeezed her eyes closed and hoped for the best.