Micaela's Big Bad

We were speeding away.

He turned to lock eyes with me, and after we traveled a little farther, vehicles sped past us. They slowed, turning into the compound.

I had a feeling we’d be seeing flames soon too.

I didn’t care.

I only cared about Nikki.

“What are you?”

“I’m a dragon.”12Harry Bahls’There were stories and movies galore about dragons, but in the real supernatural world, they didn’t exist. No. That wasn’t true. Two were known to have existed, and they were almost as old as the Earth. Almost.

It was rumored that a fight broke out among the two dragons, and that’s how the seven continents were formed, from their fighting. It was also known that one dragon won, killing the other, and now the dots were connecting because that dragon was rumored to exist in the Eastern Hemisphere.

It made sense.

It was how he could do what he did against Quesadilla, because killing a vampiress was nothing to sneeze at. But he did it, granted, he had some help from me, but it was almost a joke because he could’ve killed everyone in that compound without my help.

He was watching, waiting for my reaction.

“Why did you use me back there? You could’ve killed all of them without me raising a finger.” And without the perceived threat of his creature rising.

Why?

Humiliation sliced through my chest.

“Because you need to play catch-up on your training.”

He wasn’t even lying about his lying.

“And now?” I was trying not to sound bitter here, but I was. “You can be at Bass in no time. My friend can teleport five feet. A dragon is so much more powerful than any demon master.”

“Yes. I could, but I won’t.”

“Why?” I cried out. “She’s my best friend.”

“And she’ll survive. They’ll all survive.”

“Oh. Well, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.”

I just eyed him. Wariness was overtaking me.

He added, “You’re going to kill the vampires for me.”

“What?”

“I have colleagues who are holding everyone for us. They started their attack. I was too late in reading Quessadiline’s mind to make a call, but people I know got there in time before too many were killed. The demon masters have already gone back underground.”

“Of course,” I bit out. Typical demon.The drive back took forever.

Or maybe it was because I knew I’d have to do what I’d done back at the compound, and this time, I knew the stakes. Or the lack of stakes.

Why he was doing this, I didn’t know. I didn’t ask. I was sure it had to do with ‘his plans’ for me, but I remained mad the whole drive back.

Or, I tried.

This was me.

I thought my best friend was going to die, then I found out she wasn’t, and she so wasn’t because a fucking dragon lord didn’t want the demons to die. He could snap his fingers and probably all the vampires would be burned where they stood, but no.

My training.

I had to kill the vampires instead.

But yeah, back to me, because not only was I not an aggressive person, I also didn’t—couldn’t—stay mad. I lacked the energy, which the irony was not lost on me. It was how I was built. It’s why I wanted to get drunk tonight and why I threw a fork at the vampire seducer bitch. Even picking up that fork and hurling it at her vagina, I felt bad about it.

I should’ve thrown harder. And not felt bad as I did it.

But yeah. That was me. The same me who reached between two cushions and pulled out the whiskey bottle from where I stuffed it.

“It’s been spelled.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, took that cap off, and guzzled as much of the beverage as I could.

The bottle was ripped from me, and his hand was around my throat. He wasn’t saying anything, but I felt a burning spreading from him to me. He was evaporating the spell as it trickled down my throat.

It moved slower than the liquid. Good to know for the future.

Once he got the last of the spell, he opened his window and tossed the whiskey out of it.

Damn. I’d been hoping to get drunk at least. I was due. This was a truly shitty Halloween.

“Can I get some music turned on?”

“No.”

Okay, then.

“So, you’re a dragon. How does that work again? Is it true that dragons live in a flipside alternate universe or something? And you’re the only one who merges with one of them?”

I was acting like I knew. I was bullshitting, but those were the rumors I heard. Our kind of ghost stories, or I thought so before I met him.

He grinned. “Let’s keep it a mystery, hmm?” He went back to his phone.

For an old dude, he was with the times being on the phone so much. I was tempted to throw his phone out like he threw out my whiskey. Then I remembered he’s a dragon and there’s no reason for him not to kill me.