Chapter 6
Levx
Shedding his human skin, Levx revealed in the pain of transformation. All of his bones snapped, his muscles torqued nearly as worse torture he’d received briefly once when a hunting party of Tryns caught him before he charred his way out. Even his skin burned and shuddered while it ripped apart until his golden Renjerian scales shone underneath the moonlight.
He gasped for breath. Slowly, the blood pumped through his larger body, to finally, his wings. As many times as he’d changed from human to Renjerian and back, he never got used to the pain either caused. But in his true form, it felt like all the restraints were snapped off. He could be himself—and fly. That was one of the joys of being stuck here on earth. Back home, it was too dangerous with the Tryns to sail through the sky. Not unless he hid in the clouds or waited until dark. Well, he had to wait for the night here as well but he didn’t have to worry about poisoned spears shooting into his body.
No humans here believed in aliens—much less dragons—anymore. Through the ages, the humans’ history had shifted his peoples’ help against the Tryns to dragons being blood-thirsty monsters who burned down villages and ate virgins.
The wind whipped as he stretched out his wings on the rooftop. He launched himself off the building. Air currents swirling under him as he flapped his wings until he was well over the cities’ buildings.
Lights flickered below him. The smells of exhaust, concrete and steel filled his nostrils.
He soared across the land. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that this was Renjer. That he and his people were free of the infestation of Tryns…that he didn’t have to worry about producing offspring. But his father’s punishments were severe. He often chained Levx’s brothers and him when they’d wanted to go out and fight their enemy. Losing his first-born son had caused their father to become overly protective of them. His hesitation in fighting the Tryns had cost them too many lives. And now the buggers had brought their generals—demons seven feet tall—and stronger than a horde of Tryns.
Too many lost and the Renjerians fled. Abandoned their planet to the monsters. Once he fulfilled his duty to have a babe, Levx would return home. Catch a bolt of lightning to transport him back, and he’d kill the monsters until either only he or they, remained.
Banking left, a shout rose from the alleyway. Had a human seen him? Blasted fire!
Then a woman’s scream rent the air. Someone was in trouble. He dove toward the sound.
On a dark side street, two men stood facing a woman. Her head thrown back, her arms locked at her sides, fists clenched.
She screamed again. The men slowly shuffled toward her, their hands raised.
Pride swelled in Levx. He would rescue her and she’d be grateful. Maybe even swoon. It would be like the times of old when humans and Renjerians worked together against the enemy.
But when he swooped lower, she spun around, her eyes not full of fear. Anger coursed through them and she looked right at him. A flash of emotions tangled across her features…shock, disbelief, and something else he couldn’t identify. The waitress from the diner!
Fool! He couldn’t allow humans to see him. What had he been thinking? Flapping his wings hard, he rose higher, still feeling her gaze on him. Once he was sure she couldn’t spot him, he flew to the apartment building his family owned. His chest heaving when he landed on the roof.
Why had he tried to play hero? Best case scenario was that no one would believe her and throw her in the special hospital for mental patients to live the rest of her life. Which wasn’t fair to her as she’d done nothing wrong. It was his moment of weakness and hoping to find praise among the humans.
He ground his teeth as he forced his Renjerian body back into his human one. Later he’d check on the woman. The one who’s soft brown eyes haunted him even now. She held an air of confidence along with sorrow. What had happened in her life to cause that? At the cafe, he’d wanted nothing more than to kick the other woman away from his table and invite the waitress to sit and talk with him.
Her voice had been kind and her smile charming. Unlike his surrogate candidate who every time she talked or touched him, it felt like barbs underneath his scales. But not the waitress. He closed his eyes, picturing her name tag. Megan. Did she know how lucky she was? The first human in hundreds of years to see him in his dragon form?
He snorted. More likely, she wanted to purge the memory from her mind. Or was she, now come to her senses, running and screaming? Did he really think that some female human would swoon at his true form and thank him for saving her? And she hadn’t even needed rescuing. She’d been yelling at the two men for some reason. Was one of them her mate…no, wait, what did humans say… husband, boyfriend?
With a snarl as jealousy spiked in his veins, he opened up the rooftop door and descended down the stairs to his apartment.
Enough of this silliness. Tomorrow I find my bride…the woman who will bare my babe so I may return to Renjer and kill as many bastard Tryns as I can.