Shadow Warriors

Chapter nine

As Axin approached, Sarah couldn't catch her breath, her skin feeling like a million needles stabbed her, and the dark view of the field swam in her vision.

"Sarah?" Axin's concerned voice called to her, and he began moving faster to her.

She crawled away from him on the grass, shaking her head as her thoughts couldn't string themselves together.

"Easy, Sarah," he said, kneeling next to her, "Breathe. It's okay. It's just me."

"What... What the fuck was that?"

He sighed. "Dammit! I'm such an idiot. You weren't ready for that. Listen to me Sarah, it's okay. You're safe."

With a shake of her head, she met his flame-filled eyes. "You're... You're..."

"A dragon, yes."

"No! No! How the fuck? No! I need to go home! Take me home, Axin! Now!"

He lowered his gaze to the grass with a nod. "I'm sorry. You wanted to know, and you deserve to know the truth, but I should have taken my time with all this. I forget that the living no longer know about the linked. It's been a very long time since I spoke to someone living."

"Knew about you? When did the living ever know about dragons? They are just stories. Legends and bedtime stories we tell kids."

He reached a hand out to her, but Sarah jerked back, sliding farther away from him on the damp grass.

He dropped his hand, sitting down on the grass in front of her, "A long time ago, the living knew. It's a part of your history if you look close enough. Dragons, werewolves, witches, vampires, mermaids... Those stories all came from somewhere."

Her mind remained blank with what to say, yet a million questions gnawed at her at the same time. She couldn't focus on one, so she just stared at him, waiting.

"Will you come back inside? Please? There is still so much to tell you."

Finally, her brain began to work and she shook her head. "No, I'm good right here."

He grinned. "On the wet grass in the middle of the night? What will the neighbors say?"

Her eyes moved from his and briefly scanned the field. No sight of any other lights at all and she met his eyes again with a raised brow.

He chuckled. "There is no one around for miles."

His lighthearted comment didn't make her feel any better. She was totally alone with him, and if she hadn't lost her mind completely, then she was stranded in a place she didn't know with a man that could change into a massive, fire breathing dragon.

Finally, she found her voice. "What does any of this have to do with me? With my parents?"

"You said that something really big had to have hit that truck in order for it to jump the divider. It did."

Realization dawned on her, and she frowned. "You were... like that, when you hit the truck?"

He nodded, all trace of the gorgeous smile gone. "Yes. I was in the middle of a battle with a vile monster. Half witch, half-dragon. Very powerful. He attacked me, and at the same time, pushed us both through the veil, into the living world. He has magic, so he managed to vanish as soon as we passed through, but I was still mid-flight when I hit that truck." He didn't look at her as he spoke, but Sarah could sense the pain in his voice.

As tears rolled from her eyes, she cleared her throat. "It was an accident," she whispered.

His gaze shot up to hers. "No, it wasn't. I should have been stronger. I should have been able to stop myself, or change direction. I could have-"