Trapped between a Demon and a Dragon

Chapter 20

"Remind me again how we all ended up snuggling together in the back seat of a Mercedes?" Harper grumbles as she wiggles in her seat.

Although Aeron's presence beside her last night seemed to ward off the disturbing dreams that have been plaguing her recently, her brain refused to shut down, so any sleep she got was shallow and fragmented. After a couple of hours, Harper decided to abandon her hope of sleep and put her faith in the power of caffeine. Which is when she learned that Aeron and Misha were not allowed to accompany her on her dragon date today.

Naturally the two expressed their displeasure very loudly at this news, but in the end it made no difference.

"Well," piped up Talon on her left. "The matriarch knows that if her son came with you, your demon lover would insist on attending too. And she just redesigned the parlor at the winter house, and the odds of the two of them not fighting and breaking anything is really, really slim, so..."

"Yeah, no. I get why they couldn't come. But why are you and Alistar here? No offense, but we're in a chauffeured car, so it is not like I'd end up in the wrong place. And you don't seem like the bodyguard type, so I don't see you taking on Alistar in a fight. Not to mention, if he is here to be a bodyguard for me, someone clearly doesn't know our dynamic cause there is a 50/50 chance that Alistar will sit back and let you guys do whatever anyways."

"60/40," Alistar interjects softly. His chin is tilted down towards his chest, but his eyes are focused on the man on the other side of Harper. "Though if this cur continues to disrespect my brother by refusing to use his title, then I might fight on your behalf out of spite."

"Woah, wait, wait," Talon replies anxiously, his eyes wide with panic. "I really didn't mean any offense. I can tell you are demons but Misha never mentioned you were high ranking. My apologies for any breach of protocol that I may have caused."

As the dragon continues to apologize for his social faux pas, Harper feels a strange sensation. A pressure forms in the back of her head while her brain starts to feel fuzzy, almost itchy in a way. At the same time, she feels a little lighter and calmer, like she is watching a comedy that wasn't laugh-out-loud funny but still amuses her.

Glancing at Alistar, she sees him staring at her. When their eyes meet, one of the corners of his mouth turns up into a smirk before he turns to look out the window. As he does this, the tingle disappears, and Harper feels her stomach plunge in horror.

She would bet Sherlock that the strange feeling was Alistar projecting his amusement to her through the bond between them. While sharing his feelings with her is a far-cry from taking control of her, the fact that he feels so comfortable utilizing the bond makes her fears around the situation all the more real and valid. It has been a little over twelve hours since he saved her life, and he is already poking around in her head despite the fact that Aeron swore he wouldn't. What will he do before the two weeks are up?

Even though she wants to trust Alistar, between the dreams and the attack that led to this mental bond, it just all feels too coincidental for her taste.

But, then there are also her doubts about Misha too. He comes to town at a time where her life is actively being threatened and manages to be in the perfect place and the perfect time more than once? And his family supposedly hate her but suddenly request her presence on a day that she just happened to have an unscheduled day off?

Right now the only people she can be certain about not having a role in any of this are Lily and Kye.

As much as she wants to trust Aeron, he's gone too often for her to be able to rely on him.

"Miss Harper? We're here."

Talon's voice yanks her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she sees that both him and Alistar are already out of the car, and the young dragon is reaching a hand back into the car to assist her out of the car. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Harper mumbles as she places her hand in Talon's and lets him pull her across the bench and out of the car. "Just got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"Really now?" Alistar snarks from his position against the car. " I didn't know humans were capable of tasks as strenuous as thinking. Remind me to alert the scientists back in Hell of this new development."

Another wave of amusement swept through her brain as Harper flips Alistar off. Something about today is bringing great joy to the demon, which scares her more than she is willing to admit.

As she steps out of the car and takes in the scenery, Harper feels confused. Even though they rode in a luxury car, the location they stopped in is anything but.

The three of them are standing in a gravel parking lot attached to a motel that looks like it has seen its fair share of kidney theft. Made up of two separate two-story buildings with exterior access rooms, the motel screams danger, especially when the only visible people are a man who Harper would bet blames "them people for stealing our jobs" and a woman with a truck bed full of rocking dog kennels.

Unconsciously, Harper shuffles backwards until she can feel Alistar pressing against her back. The demon raises an eyebrow but says nothing until Talon is distracted by a phone call.

"Do not be afraid, Lady Harper," he whispers softly into her ear. "The true danger still awaits us. Dragon leaders are usually temperamental, but I will make sure you leave here alive. But you must trust me. Understood?"

No, she doesn't understand. Nothing in the past few days has made any sense. But that is not the answer Alistar wants to hear, and right now he might be her only hope of making it to the next day, So, after exhaling deeply, Harper gives him a tight nod.

"Okay guys! We're ready for you!" Talon's cheerful expression dims at the matching scowls he gets from the other two. "Listen, I know this is all weird and sudden. But give my matriarch a chance. She really does love Misha, and I know that at one point you did too. So maybe you two can bond over that?"

"Cease your incessant chatter and drop the illusion surrounding this place so that my brother's betrothed can conduct her business here and return home before another attempt on her life is made."

"Right. Sorry. It's just I've been wanting to meet Harper for so long, and I know Misha doesn't like his mom, but she is actually really kind. And, no, sorry. Just... sorry. Here, Harper, put this sticker on your shirt, and you'll be able to see what Alistar and I see."

The kicked puppy dog expression she was getting makes Harper almost feel sorry for Misha's friend. Maybe in another situation they could actually be friends. But at the moment secretly she is thankful for the bluntness of demons. She's really not in the mood to make this last longer than it needs to.

Taking that sticker from Talon, Harper places it on her chest and suddenly it feels like she has been plunged in ice. Her eyes fall shut as her whole body begins to shiver. After a minute or so, she felt grounded enough to open her eyes, and then she felt the air disappear from her lungs for a different reason.

What was once a dingy, sketchy motel is now a luxury ski chalet. The entire ground floor is covered in window panes, giving it a 360 degree view. The wood frame is stained a dark brown, and the roof and ground are even covered in snow that shouldn't even exist with outside temperatures in the 50s.

But more shocking than the physics defying snow is the sight of dragons flying over the top of the building. Dragons of all sizes and colors soar through the clouds, chasing and playing with one another.

Harper stares in awe until she starts feeling a tug at the part of her brain that she is quickly recognizing as her tie to Alistar. Turning to face the demon, she catches sight of a regal woman talking to Talon and feels her heart freeze.

She knows the woman's eyes well since she used to wake up to them every morning.

This woman must be Misha's mother.