19. Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Pain seared his side, and he sucked in harsh breaths as he turned toward his attacker. His claws extended and he slashed across the other man’s chest, the copper smell of blood flooding his senses. Then it became claws flashing and grunts bouncing off the rock walls of the cave as the battle waged. His energy left him, but he found a second wind and a lucky strike. He watched as the life left his opponent, who dropped to his knees in the dirt.
Ben jerked awake and ripped off the sheet tangled around him. He stumbled to the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time to empty what little he had in his stomach. He sat on the floor and rested his head against the cool bathtub edge.
After a few minutes he stood and rinsed his mouth in the sink. He looked in the mirror at his bloodshot eyes. At least his pupils weren’t in the shape of a snake’s eyes.
Even after he had seen the claws on his hands and his eyes change, he’d refused to believe he was dangerous. But what he’d just experienced told him otherwise. And it wasn’t a dream.
After leaving Tessa, Evelyn, and Lily, he went back to John Baker’s cabin to see if he could explain what the hell was going on. But once again the cabin appeared empty. If this guy was the recluse Tessa said he was, why the hell wasn’t he at home?
After that failed attempt, he went back to the motel to figure out next steps. He’d decided to go back to Walter’s place and stay. He didn’t need to know who he was. He just needed to stay away from Lily to keep her safe. But now that he saw what he was capable of doing, he couldn’t trust himself with anyone.
Hell, he probably shouldn’t be staying at the motel either. What if he hurt someone? What the hell was he going to do? Fifty thousand wasn’t going to last him forever. Maybe he could find a run-down cabin in the wilderness and stay there. Live like Walter, but away from everyone to keep them safe. He was a monster, and he had no doubt that he could take someone’s life. After today’s retelling of the vision, he had come to the sickening conclusion that it might be something he’d already done. Had it happened before he found himself in the woods with no memory and bloody gash marks?
Shit. Should he turn himself in to the police? And tell them what, exactly? I don’t know who I am, and I think I killed someone, and oh yeah, by the way, I’m some sort of monster? As much as he didn’t want to hurt anyone, he wasn’t too keen to become a test subject in a secret government lab somewhere either.
The motel room felt more like a cage since he hadn’t left it in days other than to go down the hall to the vending machine and buy a few things. He grabbed a garbage can and dumped the wrappers and leftovers into the trash and set it outside his door. It was time for him to go somewhere else far away from Lily and Tessa. That thought made his chest hurt, which was ridiculous since he’d just met them. But then what in his life wasn’t ridiculous at this point?
He picked up his shirt from the desk chair, and his phone fell out of the pocket. He picked it up and saw the battery was dead. He hadn’t charged it in days. But he didn’t have anyone to call. Larry didn’t need to get dragged into this, and Tessa…
He shook his head and plugged the damn thing in so that he could search for a place to get lost in. After a minute the phone came on, and he was surprised to see he had missed some calls and text messages.
They were all from Tessa. He clicked on the earliest voicemail from two days ago.
“Hey, Ben. It’s Tessa. Just wanted to let you know that Lily is safe. And I wanted to see about when you can start looking for Mia again.”
He clicked on the next message, and it was similar, except Tessa mentioned she might have some leads. The third voicemail asked him to call her as soon as he could. He felt bad that he had ghosted her, but it was better this way.
He read her texts, and they were asking if he was okay. The last one had him sitting up straighter.
I need your help. I found where Mia is.
His heart started beating triple time. The only possible clue he had about himself was Mia White’s name. Did he want to walk away from her if he could talk to her? Maybe she knew who he was and, more importantly, how to get rid of his monster?
Could he keep the monster at bay to protect Tessa? He would stab himself with his own claws if he hurt her. But he didn’t think he could walk away and hide from everyone until he at least tried to find out the truth of what was happening to him.
Decision made, he started typing.
Tessa drove toward the motel and gripped the steering wheel until her hands turned a bleached white. What she was doing was reckless. She knew that. And if anyone else had said they were going to confront Ben on their own, she would have been the first one to tell them not to do it.
But she had to make this right. And she was livid. The longer she’d waited for Ben to reach out to her, the more the anger and betrayal took on a life of its own. It oozed from her pores now and pushed away rational thought. She had called and texted him for days with no response. Even with the calls and texts, Jonas wasn’t able to track him, which meant he either ditched the phone or had turned it off. Finally Ben had texted her thirty minutes ago and agreed to meet with her at the motel. She left work and stopped at her apartment to pick up her safety net.
Tessa had only bought so much time before the clan descended on Ben. More than likely Jonas would be able to track him now that Ben had turned on his phone and responded to her. She pulled into the motel lot and parked.
She checked the left pocket of her jacket, and the handcuffs were there. They might have started as recreational at one point in time, but they worked and she would have no trouble slapping them on him once she knocked his butt on the ground with her Taser that she had in her right pocket.
Yeah, momma didn’t come to play. She came to find out who he worked for and why he was after Mia and Lily. After that, the clan could have him.
Her stomach flipped at the idea, which turned to anger that she could still think of him as a good person, but she couldn’t trust him. Hadn’t he proven that already?
She knocked on the door and slipped her hand into her pocket for the Taser. She heard movement and tightened her grip.
The door opened and Ben, or whatever the hell his name was, stood in the doorway. And he looked like crap. Before she went ballistic on him, she was going to act like she didn’t know he was a lying SOB. Hopefully she could get some information out of him. “Hey.”
He nodded and backed up to let her inside.
She turned to face him since she didn’t want him out of her sight. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I haven’t been sleeping.”
“Whatever your client needed must have been serious. Were you able to help them?”
He cleared his throat again. “In your texts you mentioned you found where Mia is?”
Guess he was going to get right to the point. “Yes.”
“How?”
She had anticipated he would ask this. “Lily.”
He backed away. “Lily shouldn’t be involved in this. It’s not safe.”
Why was he so jumpy? Had he figured out they knew he was a liar? “Lily is safe. She drew a picture of Mia. I think we can locate her using it.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want Lily involved in this.”
She took a step toward him. “Lily can’t help but be involved in this. Mia brought her to Evelyn.”
He backed up. “No! You need to leave.”
What was wrong with him? “Ben, what is going on?”
“At the rest stop, Lily drew a picture.” He swallowed. “She was dead and when I asked her who did that to her, she pointed at me.”
Tessa had trouble drawing air into her chest. “What?”
“I know! I had to get away from her. I won’t hurt her. This was a mistake. You need to leave!”
He was visibly shaking and she wanted to reach out to him, but she stood her ground. “Ben, tell me about the drawing.”
He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. “She was an angel floating in the air.”
Oh boy. “Did she have wings?”
“Yes.”
Tessa was able to draw air into her lungs. “Ben. That doesn’t mean she’s going to die.”
He looked at her with such hope in his eyes that she took a step away from him.
“What else could it mean?”
Before she could respond, his pupils turned into almond-shaped slits. Seriously? He had almost sucked her in again. How could she be so gullible!
She pulled out the Taser and aimed it at him. “Enough! Tell me the truth right now, Ben, or whatever your name is, or I’m going to light up your dragon ass. Who sent you?”
He jerked at her words as if she were already using the Taser on him. “What did you call me?”
“A dragon. Who do you work for? One of the other dragon clans? Is that why you’re after Mia?”
He dropped down onto the bed. “I’m a dragon?”
Anger boiled under her skin. “Stop playing games! You’re a dragon, which means you know that Lily is one too, so this whole act about fearing for her life is over-the-top. Did you think I was some clueless human who didn’t know you existed?”
He shook his head. “Lily is a dragon.”
Tessa barked a harsh laugh that rasped her throat. “You should be an actor. This whole act you’ve got going on is Oscar-worthy.”
He jumped up. “It’s not an act! I didn’t know. I don’t remember anything about myself.”
She raised the Taser. “Don’t take another step. Now you’re claiming amnesia? Next you’ll tell me you were abducted by aliens. And your BFF is a sparkly vampire.”
He held up his hands. “I don’t blame you for not believing me. I don’t believe it and I’m living it. That piece of paper you saw in my truck is the only clue I have from my past.”
“Oh, this changes things, dragon boy. The clan is going to have fun getting the truth out of you.”
“I don’t care. If they can tell me about my past, that’s what matters now. Wait…if Lily is a dragon, does that mean the visions I’m having might not have happened yet?”
Tessa couldn’t stop her eye roll. Was he on drugs or something? “Right. Now you’re having visions? Not all dragons can see the future.”
Ben frowned. “Well, I’m in a dark, damp place. I think it’s a cave. I’m fighting someone who has claws like I do and…they die.”
Tessa stumbled back, almost dropping the Taser. This couldn’t be happening.
His eyes widened at her reaction. “You know what I’m talking about. Did it already happen? Did I kill someone?”
Her hand started to sweat, making the Taser slippery. How many dragon deaths in caves could there be? “Yes. You killed Adam Simonson, the leader of the dragon clan.”
His beard stood out in stark contrast to his pale face. “It’s true… I killed someone.” He dropped to the bed and folded in on himself.
His reactions and emotions seemed so real, but she couldn’t trust him or her ability to distinguish truth from lies. She hardened her heart. “They will hold you accountable.”
His brown eyes were drenched in misery. “If I did what you say I did, I should be punished.”