Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
I couldn’t help but stare in wide-eyed astonishment as Alistair changed into— “Is that a kraken?” I whispered in disbelief.
“Yes. They’re extinct now,” Fiona replied.
I had to wonder if it was because Alistair ate the last tentacled monster. It slipped below the surface of the loch, and I scrubbed my face. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m hallucinating because this day has been beyond strange.”
“Maybe for you.” The selkie snorted. “Me, I’ve seen this all before in a vision.”
I pursed my lips. “And did that vision see Alistair winning and Nessie surviving?”
Before she could answer, a tentacle broke the surface of the loch with the water dragon’s jaw latched onto the thrashing limb. The fighting pair sank out of sight, and Fiona sighed.
“The problem with seeing the future is the fact sometimes the knowledge makes you do or not do certain things, thus changing it.”
“How is telling me the winner supposed to change the outcome? It’s not like I can help.”
“No, but you could hinder, say by seeking out a weapon to thrash Nessie’s body with should they come close to shore.”
“I’m not the bludgeoning type.”
“You’d be surprised what you’re capable of.”
Coming from a seer, I took that as a compliment. “If you saw this fight happening, why didn’t you warn Tiamat?”
“She might have blackmailed me into coming, but that didn’t mean I wanted to help her. As a matter of fact, I’m the reason Alistair is here.”
“Because you told her to send those Red Caps,” I accused.
“I did because I knew their appearance would irritate Alistair.”
“They almost killed me,” I grumbled.
“Which was an unfortunate aspect to that plan,” she admitted with a shrug but no apology.
“Instead of the manipulation, why not send Alistair, or even your sister, a message about Tiamat possessing her twin?”
“Seers aren’t supposed to just tell people what to do or what’s happening. Doing so would change the very future we’ve just seen. We have to be subtle. Nudge. Influence. And hope.”
My nose wrinkled as the water churned and frothed as the water dragon and kraken battled it out. “Seemed like you did more than that with Tiamat. She wasn’t just determined to cage Alistair to steal his power. She planned to go after her babies, too.”
“Planned, but would have never succeeded. While I did see a future where the hatchlings came for a visit, the big black one with the gift of fire would have ended up scorching her to ash once he realized she planned to murder them all.”
“He would have killed his own mother?” I couldn’t help but sound skeptical, despite everything I’d learned.
“In a heartbeat. Dragons show no compassion when it comes to dealing with threats, even those blood-related.”
The agitation in the water ceased, and I hugged my upper body, a frisson of cold—and fear—going through me.
Before I could wonder how Alistair fared, a tentacle emerged from the lock and the tip of it flicked. Something soared through the air. A broken chain, still holding the pendant that once hung around Nessie’s neck, hit the ground by my feet. I crouched to grab it, only to hesitate.
“It’s safe for you to touch,” Fiona stated.
“Is Tiamat’s soul gone?” I asked, my hand hovering but not touching.
“No, but her spirit can’t inhabit any flesh but her own, which is long gone, or that of the twin, who is essentially a genetic clone.”
“Are you sure? She managed to influence Malone.”
“Unlike him, you’re protected by Alistair’s claim.”
Ah yes, the claiming thing, which I’d yet to discuss with him. Was it because we’d had sex? What did it mean? Were we a couple now?
Questions for later, when I saw Alistair, assuming he still wanted to see me, given all that had happened.
I closed my fingers around the pendant and expected a jolt, maybe even some whispering. All I felt? Cold, wet metal. “What should we do with it?”
“Lock it away for as long as Nessie lives,” Fiona replied. “Here’s Oliver now with a lead-lined box.”
Sure enough, the wulver/lawyer came into view, looking stiff and proper in his suit, a small metal box tucked under his arm. “Evening, Davina. You’re looking slightly bedraggled.”
“Getting kidnapped. Dragged under the loch, chained, threatened by Red Caps, then dragged around by a mad doctor, escaping in a submersible, only to have it smashed by a dragon, drowning, and only barely being resuscitated might have me not looking my best.”
Oliver blinked. “Had I known, I would have brought clothing or a towel. However, Astaria’s instructions were to simply bring a Faraday-type box to the loch.” He held it out and flipped open the lid.
“Astaria called you?”
“Sent a text, actually. A basic one. Hence the lack of preparedness.”
“You brought the most important thing.” I plopped the pendant inside and closed the lid before fiddling with the latches. “It will need a lock, a sturdy one, and be prepared to lose the key.”
“Dare I ask why the concern over an ugly necklace?”
“It holds Tiamat’s soul, and seeing as how it can possess Nessie and make her do bad things, best we keep it far away from her.”
His brows lifted. “Well, that explains a lot.”
“Oliver, impeccable timing. I assume you brought clothes.” A very naked—and glorious looking—Alistair emerged from the loch in his manly shape.
“As I just told Davina, my instructions were to bring a box. Nothing more. But I do have spare garments in my car, just in case I have an incident while out and about. If you’ll give me a moment, I can fetch them.”
Off trotted Oliver—on two feet, not four—not that I watched. I only had eyes for Alistair.
“Did it work? Did you manage to free Nessie?”
“He did.” A trilling voice warbled as the water dragon surfaced, the long neck extending, bringing her head close to the beach.
“Nessie?” Alistair’s hesitation was valid.
“It’s me. Tiamat’s presence is gone.”
“So you claim.” He didn’t seem willing to just take her word for it.
“Test me if you must, but I assure you, I can no longer hear her voice. A blessing. I’d forgotten how foul she could be. How conniving. How cruel.”
“How could you forget after what she did to you?”
Nessie glanced at her flanks, where the scars of her injury had long since faded. “I foolishly thought her death might have mellowed her. That we might finally form a proper twin-bond like the humans are wont to do. Alas, she just wanted to use me and make me into a monster.”
“Hardly a monster,” I rushed to reply.
“I’d like to agree. However, the things my twin did while in control of my body this last decade…” Nessie’s head swung in chagrin. “It’s a wonder the military didn’t strike me dead.”
“As if Oliver would allow that,” Alistair’s retort.
Nessie’s head lifted. “You must hide Tiamat’s heart somewhere no one will ever find it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll ensure it never comes anywhere close to you again,” Alistair stated. “I am sorry I didn’t realize sooner what happened.”
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted it.”
Alistair, however, glanced at Fiona. “Someone should have.”
The selkie shook her head. “It wasn’t something me or my sister were shown. Keep in mind, we don’t control what peeks of the future we’ll see.”
“Rather than blaming, let’s just be thankful things didn’t end up turning out worse. And some good came out of it. Malone is dead,” I announced.
“Are you sure?” Alister asked rather sharply.
“He was with me in the sub when Tiamat caved in the windshield. Considering I needed help escaping the loch, he likely drowned, which is a shame because he said some strange things. Something about a dragon older than you and Nessie that’s been asleep so long everyone forgot about him.”
My comment led to Alistair arching a brow. “Sound like a fairy tale.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Nessie murmured. “Tiamat often muttered about needing to be ready before The Destroyer woke. Her belief in it was part of why she wanted to ingest you and the hatchlings so badly.”
“Tiamat was crazy. Pretty sure I’d know if there was a dragon as old or older than me on this planet,” Alistair remarked.
“Would you if it’s been sleeping all this time?” I queried.
“I’ll have Oliver look into it,” Alistair declared.
“Have me look into what?” Oliver asked as he came trotting into view with an armful of fabric.
“We’ll discuss it on the morrow.” As Alistair pulled on some pants, and I tugged on a shirt, Oliver turned to Fiona and held out his coat. “Sorry. I have nothing else. Can I offer you a ride somewhere?”
“Actually, I think I should like to remain, if Nessie wouldn’t mind?” Fiona glanced at the water dragon, who bobbed her head.
“I wouldn’t mind the companionship.”
“Excellent, although I am upgrading my room. Can you believe Tiamat had me quartered in the same hall as those smelly Red Caps?”
“Uh, yeah, I don’t think there’s many, if any, left of those,” Alistair’s sheepish reply. “They kept getting in my way when I was seeking Malone.”
“There won’t be any of those monsters left once I’m done cleaning,” Nessie’s vehement promise. “I must get my house in order in case the hatchlings visit.”
“That might not be a good idea,” Alistair cautioned. “Tiamat’s influence might be too strong, given how long they stewed in their shells.”
“I’d like to think they got some of their father’s goodness,” Nessie replied.
“Their father? You know who the unlucky bastard was?”
Before I could open my mouth, and mitigate the bombshell, Nessie blurted it out. “You are. Did you not know?”
Judging by his wide eyes and dropped jaw? Nope.
“Impossible. I refused her request, quite vehemently I might add.”
“According to Malone, you’re the daddy,” I murmured to confirm Nessie’s admission.
The revelation struck him mute.
Nessie’s head lowered. “I’m sorry, Ali. For some reason, I thought you knew or at least suspected.”
“All these centuries, I thought I’d escaped before she….” He couldn’t say it.
“That’s what she wanted you to think because the truth would have seen you killing her.”
“Fucking right I would have,” he seethed, pacing stiffly on the beach.
He shifted suddenly into his dragon, and before I could blink, frost shot from his snout and hit the trees, turning them to ice.
A lash of his tail shattered them. But still his anger seethed, and he rose into the sky, his wings spreading wide to keep him aloft.
Nessie craned to watch him. “I didn’t know he could blow ice.”
As something glowing green spewed from his mouth next, and fell, landing atop the trio of Blue Men trying to sneak out of the lake, Nessie murmured, “Acid too.”
“Is that unusual?” I asked, but before she could reply, Alistair landed and shifted—and this time I didn’t avert my eyes from his naked form.
“Bloody hell.” He raked his fingers through his hair.
“Well, I now see why your brood have such an eclectic mix of abilities. Exactly how many gifts do you have, Ali?” Nessie tilted her head as she queried.
“More than I’d like to admit,” he muttered. “Being born in a more savage time led to me acting in ways I wouldn’t dream of now.”
“I’d have likely done the same if I’d not been crippled,” Nessie stated with a sigh. “Alas, I only have my natural-born affinity for water.”
“And mind control,” I added.
“Barely. That was a Tiamat trait.”
“Are you sure that was her?” I frowned. “She didn’t have fire breath.”
Both Alistair and Nessie stared at me.
Leading me to add, “She could only do what your body was capable of. The mind thing? That was all you.”
“Oh. Well. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Playing with people’s heads isn’t very nice. I should know, speaking from experience.” Nessie shook her noggin.
“Agreed, but on a more positive note, you could protect yourself from tourists.”
“I already do that by staying inside during the day.”
“Which means you don’t get to see the sun. But with this ability, you could come out and enjoy some rays and, if any humans are watching, simply give them a nudge of forgetfulness,” I suggested.
“It would be nice to feel the heat of the sun on my face again.” Nessie turned to Alistair. “I like her. She’s clever, but not in a bad way. I hope you’ll bring her back for a visit.”
“I’m sure Davina would like that. Are you taking off now?”
“Yes. I’m feeling a need to cleanse my home.” Nessie made a moue of distaste. “A nice flood should do it, although it will ruin all my electronics. Oliver?”
“I’ll put in an order in the morning to replace them.” The lawyer sighed.
“Thank you. Now if you don’t mind, this has been a most trying day,” Nessie stated as she sank below the loch’s surface, a seal waving a fin before diving in her wake.
“As if I didn’t have enough things to do,” Oliver grumbled. “Since I’m no longer needed, I’ll be heading home. I trust I’ll see you both back there shortly?”
“Yes, and I will be raiding your liquor cabinet for a drink.” Alistair stated.
“Maybe two,” I agreed. “Thank you, Oliver,” I added.
“Bah.” The ornery lawyer stalked off, and Alistair sighed.
“Perhaps I should not have assumed anything.” He glanced at me. “I’d understand if you’d had enough of my presence, seeing as how I’m the reason you almost died a few times tonight.”
“Oh, shut up already. Yes, it was a bit frightening.” I cleared my throat.
“Make that a lot. But in better news, we rid the world of Tiamat’s threat and freed Nessie.
Not to mention, there won’t be many Red Caps terrorizing good folk for a while.
And Malone, the troublemaker behind everything, is gone.
Seems to me we’ve lots to celebrate. Although maybe before we hit the bed, we could shower first.” Because I reeked.
“As my professor commands.”
He drove faster than the speed limit, meaning, in short order, I was naked and explaining why I had a gold coin in my bra, before I was whisked into a shower and suddenly having the best sex of my life.