“Is she awake?” a male voice asked in a hushed tone.
I tried to place who it was, wanting to say, ‘yes,’ but my lips wouldn’t move and my eyelids felt like they’d been dipped in lead.
“I don’t know,” Blake murmured.
I became aware of his hand brushing my hair back. The warm thing I was laying on wasn’t my pillow, but Blake’s thigh.
He carefully removed me from his lap, my head landing on my cold pillow. Okay, enough of this. I had to know what was going on. I forced my eyes open. Blake climbed off my bed, and Mack stood at the foot of it.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Mack beamed.
“Hey, Mack.” I sounded so groggy. I cleared my throat.
“Well, I guess it’s not technically morning yet,” Mack continued.
“What time is it?” I asked, my gaze fixated on Blake stretching out. Last thing I remembered, we were talking, with him insisting on staying at the bottom of my bed, acting like I had the flu. I must’ve fallen asleep, and he decided to sit by me after all.
“Three o’clock,” Blake answered, yawning. He glanced around the floor. Spotting his shoes, he stooped down to put them on.
“Are you leaving?” I asked.
“Yep, Mack’s turn for watch.”
“Oh.” I heard my own disappointment and hoped Mack wouldn’t take it personally. I wished Blake would return to my bed so I could lay my head on his lap again and he could play with my hair. Just my luck he waited until I was asleep to snuggle.
Blake finished with his shoes and walked over to me. I sat up as he leaned down to me. To my surprise, his lips met mine for a soft, quick kiss. Guess he doesn’t mind PDA. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him, then he straightened up and gave me a crooked grin.
“Like you said, we aren’t vampires. I have to get a few hours of shuteye before our big day. You’re in good hands with Mack, so go back to sleep, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, surprised to see Blake pull his T-shirt off. His pecks and abs were enough to make me swoon. How’s a girl to sleep with that in the room? I wanted to shout. What’s he playing at?
I realized why, though, when he morphed into a dragon, holding his shirt in his hand. Suppose we can’t rip through all of our clothes, all the time. I only had a second to admire his magnificent wings span, the iridescent blues and greens reminding me of his eyes, and then he was gone. Since the window lay open, probably from Mack coming in, the warm, woodsy scent was gone within seconds. Guess he wasn’t kidding about getting some sleep.
Being preoccupied with Blake’s departure, I’d sort of forgot about my new visitor. I glanced at Mack.
“Hey you.” I grinned. “I feel like such a baby, with you two having to watch over me.”
Mack plopped down at the end of my bed. “Sammy, it’s not babying. That bug wants you. This is no different than police protection for someone a serial killer’s after.”
“Thanks, Mack. I feel a whole lot better.” I leaned against my headrest.
“Oh. Guess that didn’t sound so good, did it? Sorry.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “So… you and Blake, huh?”
“Yeah, sorry about the kissing.” I felt embarrassed, though I wasn’t sure why. Mack and I had been telling one another about our love lives since puberty. Though we never locked lips in front of each another.
“No worries, I’m happy you two finally hooked up. I’m telling you, that boy has been whipped for years. I thought he’d end up blowing it all and move here when you started dating Jeremy to tell you the truth. He got pretty jealous.”
“Really?” I asked, realizing Mack knew so many things I did not. I think it’s time Mack and I have a heart to heart.
“Yep. Blake couldn’t stand the guy. Jeremy’s shallow, but he’s harmless. I told Blake that, but when you disappeared, he went unglued. He sort of helped the cops dig into Jeremy’s life, turned everything inside out. We had to make sure it wasn’t him. Sorry it ruined your thing with Jeremy. Although, he tried to get back with you anyway.”
“Yeah, well, that is definitely over now. Last time we spoke, he basically wished Blake good luck with handling my craziness.”
Mack looked appalled. “What a wiener.”
“I know, right?” I muttered. “Hey Mack, mind if I ask how you became a dragon? I mean, we’ve known each other forever. I had no idea.”
He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t mind at all, Sammy. I’ve been like this my whole life. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
Does that mean Dragon Fae can have children? I wanted to ask.
He added, “I remember showing my parents my wings for the first time, screaming my head off, and them trying to act all calm. Really, they were totally freaked out too.”
Guess that rules out his parents being Dragon Fae. “How old were you? Who changed you then?”
“I think I was about three or four when I first morphed, but I was changed right after I was born.”
“I don’t understand. How did that happen without your parents knowing?”
“My parents did know. You see, I was born premature and my lungs weren’t developed enough to live without support, and even that wasn’t going very well. I weakened every day. I’d been in the ICU for about four months, hooked up to machines, when my great uncle showed up and told my parents about Tonbo’s treatment. Turns out I had a dragon for an uncle.” He grinned. “Anyway, at that time, changing infants was all but banned in Tonbo’s book. He had no idea how the baby would react to it. But when my uncle took my parents to his island, Tonbo had no choice but to hear them out. They showed him pictures of me, told him it was their last hope. I’d die if they didn’t try something.”
“So Tonbo did it? He changed you?”
“Yup. I didn’t know about any of this until the day I sprouted wings. My parents tried to explain it all to me. I took it as well as could be expected, and then they took me to the island. Being so young, I needed to learn how to control my wings. Tonbo had warned my parents the day might come that they’d have to be separated from me at least for a little while. My parents took me to Tonbo, and I lived with him for a few years.”
“Really? How old were you? Your parents just let you go?”
“Well, not exactly. They moved to Santa Barbara where they could work. Tonbo had a private jet bring them over to the island as often as they’d like to be with me. So I wasn’t totally abandoned. It sort of felt like I was in a boarding school really. They came to see me at night and on the weekends. I studied under Tonbo during the day.”
“Wow. You must be pretty close to Tonbo then?”
“Yeah, I love that old man.” Mack’s voice grew soft. “When I was about eight, Tonbo decided I was ready to be back in society. He trusted I could control my morphing. My parents moved us back to Durango. We still had our old house; they’d just rented it out while we were gone. That was the year before I met you.”
“Oh. When did you meet Blake?”
“I’d met him and Kory while living with Tonbo, but I didn’t know them that well. It was after I’d moved back, somewhere in the middle of fourth grade, that Blake showed up at my house and asked me for a favor.”
Mack scratched his temple and chuckled. “Should’ve known the favor would have brought me nothing but trouble,” he mumbled, grinning.
“What was it?” I asked.
“You.” He winked. “Blake had just saved your life and wanted to keep an eye on you, make sure you’d be okay. Tonbo told him I lived close, even went to the same elementary school as you.”
“Oh. So that’s why you became my friend?” For some reason, it made me feel weird, like our friendship wasn’t genuine.
“I could’ve easily kept on eye on you without even knowing you, let alone becoming your best friend. It was the excuse I needed to meet you. I only helped Blake because that meant I got to be near you.”
His grin set my fears at ease. I felt something stir with in me, a warm, comfortable feeling.
It’s nice being around Mack again. I wasn’t sure why we’d had such a gap lately. Probably because my thoughts have been on a million other things… the cabin… my wings… and Blake.
“I had no idea how much you really did for me, Mack. You never made fun of me because I feared water, even though you missed out on a lot of lake trips and river runs.”
He shrugged. “They’re overrated.”
“And when everyone thought I was a little crazy for blacking out all the time, you never cared what they said. You kept coming to see me after the cabin, even though I just stared at you like a broken doll.” He flinched at the mention of the cabin, but I pressed on. “Honestly, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
He shifted his gaze away from me and down at the floor.
Not sure why he seemed uncomfortable with my words, I added, “So I’m glad Blake asked the favor, even if I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.” I grinned, relieved to hear him chuckle softly.
“Hey, about that? Are you still afraid of water… and blackout and everything?”
“Nope.” I beamed, “Mack, it’s the best thing ever. I feel like this heavy weight has been lifted.”
“One of the nice things about being Dragon Fae is it heals your broken pieces,” he murmured, almost more to himself.
“I love that part. The living forever bit, not so much.” I rubbed my arms.
“Well, at least you will always have Blake… and me.”
“True.” I felt like there was something unspoken and weird between us. I couldn’t put my finger what it was though. “Hey, Mack?”
He glanced up at me.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a cruddy friend lately,” I blurted.
Mack gaped at me. “Are you serious? Sammy, I’m the cruddy friend here. You should have never been taken. It’s my fault it happened. I should’ve watched over you better.”
Oh… maybe that’s why he seems upset. He blames himself. “Mack, don’t be ridiculous. None of this is your fault.”
He shook his head slowly. “I’m just glad the bug didn’t torture you too badly when he changed you.”
“You think it was the bug?” I asked.
“You don’t?” He sounded surprised.
“I’m not sure. I mean, why would he let me go? Sounds like they just catch and kill. I’m pretty sure they won’t find those other girls. Why would I be any different?”
“Good point. That’s one of things Blake’s hoping Tonbo might have answers for. Maybe the bug’s treating you different because, like the guy said, yours was a special blend.”
“So do you think that’s why I can’t do the camo, because of my blend? I keep trying, but it doesn’t work,” I grumbled.
He shook his head. “Mm… I don’t think so, but who knows? Want to try one more time with me?”
I considered him for a moment. “Sure. Let’s give it a go.”
Mack grinned and moved over to sit next to me, taking my hands in his.
“Okay, Sammy, go ahead and change.”
I stared at him. “You mean into a damsel?”
“Yeah, unless you had something else in mind.” He lifted his eyebrows up and down.
I punched his arm. “No.” I knew him well enough to know he was teasing. For as long as I could remember, he’d crushed on Jen.
I focused on my back muscles and heard my shirt rip at the same time my wings banged into my headboard. I moved forward a bit, to give them more space. I immediately checked my hair, curious to what I looked like. Short, blonde hair, white, plain T-shirt. Nothing fancy this time.
Mack grinned and then leaned in closer. “Okay, listen to me carefully. You are a lot stronger and smarter than you give yourself credit for. I know you can do this.” Mack’s gaze burned into mine. “You’ve overcome so much already. Think of this as one more step in your evolution. Just relax, let your mind wander. Don’t think about anything right now. Let yourself go. Find the dark corners of your mind. Don’t fight them, crawl into them.”
At some point, I closed my eyes. Something about his words and tone were hypnotic. I felt so desperate to get the camo working that I was willing to give his mantra a try.
“Are you there, Sammy?” he asked.
My eyes fluttered open. “Yes, I’m here.” But I wasn’t there. I was gone! Where my knees had been, I only saw my blankets. I could see Mack, feel his hands still holding mine, only mine were gone.
I gasped. “Mack! It worked! I can’t believe I can do it now!”
He grinned at me, his eyes not quite making eye contact since he couldn’t tell where mine were.
“I had no doubt you could do it. Like I said, you’re a strong girl, Sammy.”
“I don’t understand how I did it though. I didn’t picture anything like my bed or blankets. I just relaxed and ‘crawled into my dark spaces’ like you told me to,” I said, still reeling at how odd this was. I stared at where my legs should be. With my keen eyesight, I could make out my own outline.
Mack squeezed my hands and then let them go. “You’re a unique creature. I realized when normal methods didn’t work, maybe your mind plays a bigger part than the rest of us. You need to relax, let go of all your fears. They’ve been such a part of you for so long that I think you’ve built some mighty walls in that pretty head of yours. I just wanted you to find your true self in there.”
“Thank you, Mack.” I instinctively reached out and touched his face. Not being able to see my movement, I caught the surprise in his expression when I made contact, my fingers brushing against his cheek.
“No problem-o. I’ll do anything for you, you know that.” His tone was chipper, almost too chipper.
“Thanks,” I repeated, withdrawing my hand quickly, not sure why I’d done it in the first place. Glad I’m invisible, so he can’t see how red my face is about now.
“So how do I get back to normal?” I asked.
“Crawl out of the dark places,” Mack said, throwing up his hands and chuckling. “Honestly, I’m not really sure with you. With me, I just think of my flesh, picture what my hands look like, and there they are.”
“Humph,” I grunted. “This might be a disaster. Maybe I’ll spend the rest of my life invisible, nobody knowing I’m even there.” I’d said it as a joke, but the words sent a ripple of fear through me. My body jolted, my insides screaming at me to do something to keep that from happening. I hoped Mack hadn’t heard the gasp that had escaped me.
His hands fumbled to find me, and I slipped my invisible hands into his.
“Sammy, now listen to me, girl. I’ll never let that happen. I know you’re scared, but you’re going to be fine. Look at our hands.” He held up his own, taking mine with his. “Picture what this feels like. My hands are warm; yours are cold. What would your fingers look like in mine? Skinny, white, bony, maybe gnarly and freckled.”
I smirked at him, and then realized he couldn’t see me. “Very funny.” But his words worked again. Maybe his teasing was enough to get me to relax, who knows. Either way, my hands instantly appeared, covered by his.
“Ah, there you are.” Mack grinned.
I lunched forward, hugging my friend. “Thank you, Mack.”
He patted my back. “I will always help you find yourself, Sammy. You don’t have to be scared, okay? Now you better get to sleep or Blake is going to kick me in the head.”
“What?” I sat back, not sure if he was being serious or not. You never knew with Mack.
He winked and scooted off the bed. “I’ll be right over here.” He positioned himself in the corner. “Now sleep, you must.”
“Yes, master,” I mumbled, grinning. I settled down into my covers and was surprised how quickly his words worked on me.