Dragon in the Dark (Kindred Tales)

“I understand!” Dra’vik was already climbing into his ship as fast as he could. Not even bothering with his harness, he fired the engine and lifted off.

Up and up, through the atmosphere bubble that guarded the top of the Docking Bay, he flew. And there, as the Goddess had promised, was a wide, blue, swirling hole, just big enough to admit a single ship.

Without hesitation, Dra’vik flew through it…and found himself hovering in the blue atmosphere of Earth.

Directly below him was a white building with a single tall spire rising into the sky. To one side of it was a parking area, half filled with the small, wheeled vehicles the humans drove.

Dra’vik lowered his ship, which took up the remaining space of the parking area, and got out immediately. He ran to the front of the building and rushed through the doors. Directly ahead of him was another set of doors and through them he could hear solemn music drifting.

His heart was pounding—was he too late? There was only one way to find out.

Rushing forward, he slammed open the doors and saw Iyanna standing at the other end of a large room. She was wearing a white dress that was too big for her and facing a male who was short, even by human standards.

“Stop the ceremony!” he shouted, as all heads swiveled towards him and the music ceased abruptly. “Stop it now—I have to talk to Iyanna!”

FIFTY-SIX

Iyanna had been walking down the aisle on her father’s arm, feeling like she was in a dream. Or maybe some kind of nightmare.

Everyone was watching her—and there were more people than she’d thought. Her mom had promised a small wedding, but it looked like both sides had invited extended family. Ian’s grandparents were there—both sets. And she could see her own Great Aunt Coreen, who was her father’s sister, as well as all her cousins and nieces and nephews and her brother and sister and their spouses. Everyone was there.

All of them were there to see her marry Ian—who was waiting for her with a huge smile at the end of the aisle. He looked perfect in his tux—blonde hair, handsome face, nice body. And smart, too! her mom’s voice whispered in her head. He’s perfect for you, Iyanna—you two were made for each other.

But were they?

She couldn’t shake her Granny’s words of warning—couldn’t stop thinking about Dra’vik.

Stop it, you have to let him go! This is your wedding day; you shouldn’t be thinking of some other guy you barely knew for a week. You and Ian have years of history—what’s wrong with you? Snap out of it!

Yet, she couldn’t. She kept getting closer and closer to the altar and then she was there and the minister was saying,

“Who giveth this woman?” and her father was saying,

“Her mother and I do.”

And then he squeezed Iyanna’s hands and smiled at her and went to sit on the front pew with her mom, who was crying tears of joy.

I should be crying tears of joy too, Iyanna told herself, but she felt frozen inside—wrong.

“Hey, babe,” Ian whispered, taking her hands, which felt like blocks of ice. He grinned at her. “Here we go!”

Iyanna felt like she had once when she had gotten on the Tower of Terror ride at an amusement park. It was the ride where they strap you in and lift you hundreds of feet in the air before dropping you suddenly all the way down.

She loved roller coasters, so she had assumed she would like this too. But once she was strapped into the chair and the ride had risen to the top, she had looked down at the ground so far below—everyone waiting to ride looked like a line of ants—and had started screaming.

She was getting the feeling of terror now, too—that feeling of being caught in a trap that was closing in all around her—a trap she couldn’t get out of.

Oh no, I can’t do this! I can’t do this!

She opened her mouth to say it out loud as the last soft strains of the Wedding March played…and then the double doors at the end of the chapel burst open and someone roared in a voice like thunder,

“Stop the ceremony!”

Iyanna jerked her head around and saw Dra’vik standing there—all nine feet of him, dressed in black leather with his scales and horns gleaming and his yellow-gold eyes glowing in the golden chapel light.

“Stop it right now!” he rumbled, “I have to talk to Iyanna!”

“The Devil!” Great Aunt Coreen gasped and started fanning herself with the wedding program. “Oh Sweet Jesus, it’s Satan right here in the church!”

Somehow, Iyanna found her voice.

“He’s not the Devil,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “He’s just a Monstrum Kindred.” Then she looked at Dra’vik. “What are you doing here?”

“Fucking up the biggest day of your life, apparently, little girl,” he growled. “Why are you getting Joined to a male who broke your heart?”