A soft smile curved her lips when she saw another figure coming toward her. This one was different. The smile turned to a confused frown when she didn’t recognize the woman.
The figure was blurry at first, as if she was seeing it through a distorted piece of glass. Slowly, the image cleared until she realized it was the figure of a tall woman dressed in gold. She was strangely beautiful in an exotic, alien way.
Melina’s lips parted. The woman’s arms rose gracefully in front of her and she opened her hands. Two beautiful dragons, curving around a smaller one, were nestled in her hands. The tiny statue reminded Melina of the pendant hanging around her neck.
What does it mean? Melina wondered in awe, staring at the figures.
The Twin Dragons need a mate. I have chosen you, the woman replied.
Chosen? Me? Why? Melina asked, startled.
You are strong for one so young, Two Dragons, alpha males, need a female who can tame them and love them for who they are. You are that female.
But, why? How can you be sure that I’m the one for them? Melina asked in confusion.
To right a wrong, the woman answered her in a faint voice as she started to fade. You are made for them. Believe, Melina.
She started to ask the woman who she was and how she could be so sure, but the distant sound of Harry’s voice calling to her broke through her thoughts. The figure smiled at Melina and a sense of warmth swept through her as the golden figure faded away.
“Melina,” Harry was saying urgently. “Melina, sweetheart, open your eyes.”
Melina blinked rapidly and shook her head. Reaching for her hat on the ground next to her. She rose unsteadily to her feet.
“Harry, I saw…,” Melina started to say, but Harry touched her arm and nodded toward where they had parked the truck.
“We’ve got company, honey,” he mumbled under his breath.
Melina turned and bit back a groan when she noticed that a local Clayton County Sheriff patrol car was pulling up behind Harry’s old pickup. She glanced around and noticed that Harry had hidden the small shovel he had used to dig the hole for her grandfather’s urn back behind the tree. She murmured her thanks as the local Sheriff’s deputy got out of the car.
Melina placed the floppy hat back on her head. She watched as the deputy walked across the grass toward them. She frowned as she studied the man’s face. He looked vaguely familiar to her.
“Hey Harry,” the deputy said.
“Stuart,” Harry replied as a way of greeting.
Melina started in surprise. This was Stuart Wilson? The drunken boy who had driven her Gramps old tractor into the pond?
“I saw your truck and thought I’d come see how you were doing,” Stuart said smiling in greeting at Melina. “Hello.”
Melina nodded and lowered her head. Her mind was swirling in confusion as a blush rose up over her cheeks. This was the boy who had given her, her first kiss? She peeked up at him again in curiosity.
A small yelp of surprise escaped her as the gold around her wrists moved in aggravation. She wrapped her right hand around her left wrist and blinked down at it. Images of Cree and Calo flowed through her mind. Her face flamed as those images turned to them tangled around each other last night.
“Are you alright, ma’am?” Stuart asked, tilting his head to look at her.
Melina was so lost in thought that she forgot to keep her head down. She stared up at Stuart in a daze and nodded. It wasn’t until she saw the confusion in his eyes change to recognition, that fear took hold inside her.
“Mel? Melina Franklin? Is that you? I’ll be damned! Where the hell have you been? There’s been a missing person’s case on you and old man Franklin for the last four years,” Stuart exclaimed.
“I… Stuart… Harry,” Melina whispered, looking to Harry as fear threatened to choke her.
“Melina just got in last night, Stuart,” Harry said gruffly. “Let the poor girl get her house in order before you start in on her.”
“Harry, you were the one who filed the report,” Stuart reminded him. “Hell, she and Franklin just vanished! There hasn’t been any activity on the old man’s bank account or credit cards for over four years, except the automatic withdrawals he authorized.”
“How do you know that?” Harry demanded. “And why are you looking up information on them?”
“Come on, Harry. It’s my job to know. Plus, this was personal,” Stuart replied, glancing back at Melina. “I was hoping to see Melina again.”
Melina blushed again at the look of interest in his eyes. They had only shared the one kiss. From the choked laugh that Stuart had given after she accidentally bit his lip, she thought he would have been happy to see the back of her. She glanced away when he continued to stare at her.
“Mel, where were you? Where’s your Grandfather?” Stuart asked curiously.
“He’s gone,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her as a cold breeze blew across the cemetery. “He died a little over a week ago of a heart attack.”
She was remembering her Grandfather’s words about staying as close to the truth as possible. She looked back at Stuart and gave him a watery smile. Even in death, her Gramps was guiding her.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Stuart replied. “Listen, I know this is probably a bad time, but I really need to take you in so I can file a report on the case. They are probably going to want you to come in and give a statement as to where you’ve been and why you and your Grandfather never contacted anyone.”
Melina paled. Her hand moved to the necklace around her neck. She fingered the three dragons. Warmth flowed through her.
“Do I… Do I have to do it now?” She asked in a husky voice.
“I think it would be best,” Stuart said. “I’ll be there with you, Mel.”
“Ah hell, Stuart,” Harry cursed. “The girl is dead on her feet.”
“Then the sooner I take her down to the office, the sooner she’ll be done,” Stuart said, stepping closer to Melina.
“Wait a minute! You take her down? Why can’t she ride with me? You can follow behind me if you think I’m going to do some damn Dixieland Express on your ass,” Harry snapped out.
“Harry, this is official business,” Stuart said in a low, authoritative voice.
“When did you become such a prick, Stuart?” Harry asked.
A small, choked giggle escaped Melina at Harry’s words. She looked wide-eyed at Stuart when he glanced at her. His face became stiff with anger, but he held his tongue.
“Harry, go home,” Stuart ordered, sliding his arm around Melina’s waist to guide her toward his patrol car. “I’ll make sure she gets home when she is finished.”
“Damn brat,” Harry muttered loudly. “Cal should have shot your drunken ass full of buckshot instead of saved it, Stuart Wilson. I’m following you.”
*.*.*
Burning anger pierced Cree as the new male wrapped a possessive arm around Melina’s waist. The male acted as if he knew her. His fingers tightened on the knife at his waist even as his eyes followed the pair as they walked back to the transports.
“It looks like some type of military uniform,” Calo murmured from where they were standing along the thick woods bordering the north side of the burial site. “Why would he take her?”
“He better get his hands off her,” Cree said as his eyes narrowed as the male opened the door to his transport and helped Melina inside.
“We need to follow them,” Calo said, turning back to where their symbiots stood waiting for them.
Cree grunted as he watched the two transports pull away. He turned and followed Calo through the woods to the small clearing where they had landed. Their symbiots moved swiftly through the woods, checking to make sure that they were still alone before reforming into the fighters.
“We get her, we take her, we leave,” Cree stated as he broke through the wooded area. “No more delays.”
“Agreed,” Calo replied.
Chapter 24
Melina rubbed her brow. Exhaustion beat at her as she looked at the man sitting across from her. Except for two brief trips, under supervision, to the ladies room, he had been grilling her for hours. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had only offered her a bottle of water all day.
Her eyes moved to the window. It was beginning to turn dark outside. The street light across the road had turned on ten minutes earlier. She wondered what Cree and Calo were doing. They had expected her to return hours ago.
“Now, Ms. Franklin, can you tell me again where you and your Grandfather went the day you disappeared?” Detective Joel Manchester asked for the hundredth time.
“No,” Melina said, turning to look at him. “No, I can’t. Just like I couldn’t tell you the first time you asked or the second or the third. We left, that is all that I have to say.”
Manchester leaned forward on the desk he had appropriated when the call had come in that one of the missing person’s in his case files had appeared while the other was reported dead. He had been studying this case for years. No personal items were missing. No clothes, no pictures, food left in the refrigerator, a new purchase on the seat of the old truck, garbage in the trash can, dishes neatly washed and waiting in the drainer, and a house that was still locked up.
There had been no withdrawals from the bank except those that had been set up years before to pay for the monthly bills and yearly taxes. No one had accessed the huge sum of money that was growing in the bank, no use of a Social Security number, and the girl had never been enrolled in another school.
The only strange thing that had been found was a blurry photo captured inside the barn from a trail camera that the old man had set up. He reached inside the large yellow envelope lying on the desk and pulled it out to study for a moment before he laid it down on the desk and pushed it toward the stubborn young woman sitting stiffly across from him. He had kept it as a last resort, thinking it had been a hoax by some kid in the area.
“What can you tell me about this?” Manchester asked.
Melina sighed. All she wanted to do was get out of there. There was nothing she could tell the man. He wouldn’t believe her anyway if she did. Glancing down at the grainy, black and white picture, she paled.
She would recognize the outline anywhere. It was of the trader who had taken them. Her hands started to shake as she remembered the months on board his ship. The constant fear, the hunger, the…
“No!” She cried out, pushing away from the desk and standing. Her eyes were frozen in horror on the picture. “No!”
*.*.*
Manchester rose as fear, horror, and hatred twisted Melina’s white face. He watched her grip the gold pendant hanging from her neck. His eyes moved back to her face and widened.
Her vivid green eyes had changed. Correction, the green was still there, but her pupils which should have been round were now elongated like a cat. Soft, rippling shapes that looked suspiciously like scales were moving along her neck and up over her jaw.
“What the fuck happened to you?” He whispered as she continued to stare at the blurry image as if held captive by the figure in it. “What are you?”
“No,” she repeated, stumbling backwards as he started to come around the desk. “No.”
Manchester glanced out into the room next door. It was empty, except for the old man who refused to leave. The deputy that had brought Melina in had to leave to take care of an accident. The town was so small that it only had four deputies on duty. The old man, Harry Johnson, rose when he saw them through the window. His old eyes filled with concern and something else.
Manchester turned his eyes to the picture. He picked it up and held it out toward Melina. Something told him, he had finally found the missing piece to the puzzle that he needed to get the answers to his questions.
“Who is this? What is it?” Manchester persisted.
“Keep it away from me,” Melina demanded with a shudder.
“What happened to you?” Manchester insisted. “Was your Grandfather with you? Did he do this to you?”
“No!” Melina snarled in a voice that wasn’t her own.
“Holy shit!” Manchester exclaimed as her eyes dilated again, but this time the changes continued.
The picture he was holding in his hand suddenly caught fire as the woman he had been interrogating turned her fury on it. He cursed as he dropped the burning picture and rolled backwards over the desk, falling off the other side onto the floor. Lying on his back, he stared in horrified fascination at the beautiful, but unreal creature glaring down at him.
“Melina,” a deep, masculine voice called out.
The creature turned her delicate head toward the sound. Manchester scrambled back against the wall as two huge males stepped into the room. He choked back a frightened cry as they slowly approached the creature staring back at them as if she could understand them. Whatever they were saying, the beast appeared to recognize the language they were speaking.
He watched as they reached up and touched the dark green scales along her jaw. He half expected those razor sharp teeth that lined the creature’s mouth to slice through their arms, but instead she lowered her head and released a low, desperate cry.
“Melina, my little mate,” the other one said in a gentle voice.
“What… What the fuck happened to her?” Manchester asked in a shaky voice.
Twin sets of golden eyes filled with fire turned in his direction. One of the men snarled before he shifted into a large topaz and black dragon. The other male turned as two equally huge golden beasts entered the room.
They both looked like pre-historic saber tooth tigers. Whatever the male said, it had an effect on one of the beasts. It turned and exploded through the back wall as if it wasn’t there. Manchester covered his head as dust and mortar rained down around him.
When he looked up, there was a hole the size of a semi-truck leading out to the back of the building. His astonished gaze swiveled where the large topaz and black dragon had protectively spread its wings around Melina. He shook his head when he suddenly realized that there were no longer just the two dragons, but three.
Disbelief drove him up to a standing position as he watched the three dragons and two golden creatures disappear through the hole and into the night. He hurried around the battered desk, tripping over the fallen debris, as he fought to get to the opening leading outside. He stumbled backwards, looking desperately up into the sky. All he could see were the first twinkling of stars.
He turned when the old man who had been in the waiting room stepped carefully through the hole. Staring at the man in shock for a brief second, he looked up again. He turned in a circle several times before he stopped and looked back at Harry.
“What the fuck happened to her?” Manchester asked in a hoarse voice.
“Son, you’d never believe me if I told you,” Harry said sadly. “Some things are best left alone. If anyone asks, there was a gas explosion.”
“But, what about Ms. Franklin? What were those things… Those men?” Manchester asked as shock began to set in.
“Whatever happened to her up there changed her,” Harry said quietly. “She will never be the same again. Earth is no longer her home.”
*.*.*
Cree stayed close to Melina’s left side while Calo pressed against her right. They flew through the air, guiding her back toward her grandparent’s house. They knew she did not understand what was going on. Her dragon instinctively guided her right now.
They could both feel the fear, confusion, and shock deep inside her. Their own fear threatened to choke them as she flinched away from them when they tried to reach out to her. Her dragon released a low moan of sorrow.
Melina, reach for us. Let us help you, Calo whispered to her. Come to me, my little mate. Let us hold you.
No, she cried, pulling further back.
Melina, Cree’s voice growled before softening to a low rumble of desire. I need you.
A shiver went through the female dragon. Inside,
Melina felt like rolling her eyes and punching Cree in the mouth. He used that same low rumble on her last night and look what happened! She had turned into a freak!
You are not a freak! Cree replied in surprise. Why would you think that?
I’m not even going to answer that, she thought back, not trying to understand how they could communicate this way. Just leave me alone.
Never, Cree retorted, swinging his head around to nip at the long, slender neck of the female flying by his side.
He snorted in shock when he suddenly found himself falling backwards. Melina had wrapped her tail around his and jerked him as he reached for her. He rolled in the air, chuckling.
Our mate has a temper, he thought as he swung back around behind her. And a very sexy looking tail.
His low rumble sounded like thunder as his dragon laughed when Melina flicked her tail back and forth. It was too much of a challenge for him to ignore. He wasn’t the only one not immune to her. Calo, seeing the defiant flick as well, suddenly swooped below her.
The field, Calo growled in a low, strained voice. I’m losing control. Now!
Chapter 25
What? Melina tried to focus as she found herself suddenly caged by the two males, one above her and the other below.
She was still struggling to understand what was going on. She knew that she had shifted into a dragon. She knew that it felt like she was now inside of the creature, instead of ‘being’ the creature. What she didn’t understand was how it had happened and what it meant.
You no worry, a soft voice whispered back to her. I protect.
Protect who? Who are you? Melina asked in confusion.
I inside you, you inside me, the voice replied. We are one.
What does that mean? Melina asked, this time in frustration.
Dragon Fire, the voice whispered. It wake me.
Dragon’s Fire. Melina repeated as she thought of the fierce inferno that had threatened to incinerate her last night.
Shadowy memories of them laughing, and Cree pulling her into his arms, crystallized into a brilliantly clear picture. She remembered losing herself in his kiss. Fire and desire had scorched her as she kissed him back. There was something about both men that called to her, made her want more.