Earth Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Thirty-One - Gage

It'd been a while since Gage last had the nightmare. For six months following Maj's death, he had the same recurring dream about what caused her to drop dead on the sidewalk on her way home from work. In more dramatic versions, he saw masked men swiftly attack her before disappearing into the night. Other depictions involved her suffocating. All of them woke him up in a cold sweat.

Then dreaming blissfully stopped for a month, then two, then five, until he forgot what it felt like to awaken from being tortured.

As always, the first thing he did upon waking was reach for her next to him in bed—to prove she was okay and asleep beside him. When he found her side cold and empty, the pain returned just as fresh as the moment it finally sunk in that she was gone. That was the only time he allowed himself to keep crying over her.

Maj had seen him in this latest version. Normally, she went about her business while he watched helplessly. Not this time. No, she stopped mid-stride and faced him, her gaze sad and silently pleading as if she knew about her ultimate doom. All of her thoughts were blocked from him just like they had been on that horrible day. She mouthed a word to him and then dropped to the ground, the fall itself happening in slow motion. Whatever word she had said, it was one he couldn't quite figure out.

The whole dream left him a lot more rattled than usual. What kind of message was she trying to send him from the great beyond? Was that even possible?

He took a few slow, deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart. Once Gage felt able to move, he got out of bed to use the bathroom. The clock next to the vanity read three in the morning. Going back to sleep was the logical thing to do. By the time he was finished with his business, he was wide awake.

That was pretty normal after the dreams, unfortunately. Falling asleep was near impossible to do. Gage developed a simple system to help himself regain a sense of calm. Out of habit, he peeked in on Gus. Seeing his son in a peaceful sleep reassured him that all was well in the house. He then went down to the kitchen to make some classic comfort food.

The quiet rummaging and clattering of metal up on metal from inside the kitchen put him back on edge. He flicked on the light and found Martie going through his collection of large junk knives. She let out a shriek and dropped a cleaver. It hit the floor with a loud clang that caused them both to wince.

He waited to make sure Gus stayed asleep before asking, "What are you doing?"

Martie's mouth opened and closed a few times before she burst into tears. "I was scared."

"So you decided to get a knife?" What was she even afraid of? He exhaled, determined to keep his cool. "Sit, talk. I'm making mac and cheese."

"We can—"

"You owe me an explanation now."

She swallowed and did as she was told, taking a seat at the island counter. "I promise I will never hurt you or Gus."

"Nothing is going to reassure me of that but the truth. If you can't tell me, I don't know if I feel comfortable keeping you on." He hated threatening her into spilling her guts, but did he have any other options? If she was scared enough to get a weapon in order to feel secure, then that meant his whole household was in potential danger.

It took a minute or so for her to begin. When she did, it all gushed out. "I got a call from an ex-boyfriend of mine tonight, I mean, he's never been my boyfriend, but he's the guy who made me dragon, and that makes me sound loose, I'm not, he just did it even though I didn't want him to, and he called me and knows I'm here in the city, and I'm scared he's going to come here or, or..."

"Wait, slow down." Gage was glad he was facing his stove. If he watched her break down, he wasn't sure how he'd react. Processing her story was hard enough and left him nauseous. "This guy forced himself on you? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"I was drunk when it happened. He can't help it," she whispered.

"Yes, he can," he seethed. Gage closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. "Whatever excuse he gave you is a lie. What he's done to you is illegal as well as disgusting. You should report him to the police, no, to the Dragon Authority before—"

"No, no, no, if I do then...then..."

Gage glanced over at her as he went to get the ingredients for his cheese sauce together. "Then?"

She sobbed quietly. "I don't know what he's going to do."

"Nothing. I won't let him near you."

"He might take it out on someone else." She hiccupped. "Besides, he has friends in the Authority and with the police. They'll get him off. That's what he told me."

It had to be a lie. Gage refused to believe any law enforcement, let alone the one dedicated to protecting the ordinary humans from dragon abuse, would let anyone get away with such a heinous crime. Whoever the guy that attacked her was, he had to be taking advantage of her sweet, naïve nature to the fullest.

But what if she was right? Gage couldn't leap into action without all of the facts. Even then, he wasn't sure what else to do. "We'll come up with a plan to end this—soon. I won't let him hurt you and there is no way he's getting anywhere near my house."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't apologize when you've done nothing wrong," he said quietly. "Whatever lie he fed you, he's the bad guy. It's all on him. And if you're apologizing for going through my stuff and freaking me out, I'll give you a pass. I get it. Give me a few minutes and I'll up the security system. Make it more sensitive. Alarms will go off if squirrels run through the yard." He offered her a weak smile. "And for future reference my good knives are on the counter over the oven. Anything in the drawer is garbage."

He didn't want to admit that those were the first knives he'd ever owned. Maj gave them to him a long time ago when they'd first started dating. The plan was to recycle them, but he never got around to it. Parting with them after her death was even harder to do.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Martie confessed. She wiped at her eyes, still crying, but she had the smallest of smiles so she must have been feeling somewhat better.

Gage drained the noodles he'd cooked before mixing them with his cheese sauce. "I can get you a taser."

"Should I? Get one?"

"You're scared enough to steal one of my cleavers. Pretty sure the answer is yes." He gave her a pointed look.

She bit her lower lip. "Oh."

"Like I said, no one is going to hurt you." He paused, frowning. "Thank you for being honest with me. I might not be the top choice of people to talk to about what he did, but I'll do my best if you need an ear."

Martie nodded ever so slightly. Just by looking at her, he could tell she was on the verge of bursting into tears again. Somehow he'd have to figure out a way to not leave her completely alone. Not only for her safety, but also his son's.